Factors Affecting the velocity of propagation of sound

Kazi Ayman Rahman

Chatsworth International School

DP1 Physics

Mr. Ballgobin

21/22/2023
 Different temperatures in a medium affect the velocity of
propagation of sound waves

Design

Topic
How does cold and warm temperature affect the velocity of sound through a resonance tube?

Research question
How does the temperature of a medium for a sound wave affect the velocity of propagation of sound?

Background information
When you think about it, the most important things in this world fall under waves, from sight
to light waves to audio from sound waves. Waves are everywhere. Sound waves in particular are
extremely important as it allows us to stimulate our environment and function as living creatures.
Studying sound waves has helped doctors learn more about our ears, and has allowed engineers to
design objects like microphones and speakers. Therefore I started researching and studying more
about how sound waves travel and how it varies in different mediums. Sounds are longitudinal waves
meaning that the wave’s back-and-forth motion happens in the same direction in which the wave
travels, (Dr. Shini Sound: Crash course physics #18). The sound waves are produced when the
vibrator, a tuning fork, gets struck and vibrates the surrounding air particles. These air particles strike
the next one and as the process continues the sound spreads out. This is where my investigation of
sound waves takes place when I first started to research the different factors that affect the velocity of
sound. Many factors arose such as:
- Density
- Temperature
- Humidity
- Effect of the direction of the wind
They were causing the particles to vibrate more from a higher number of particles stuck
together, density, to faster temperature, and faster kinetic energy which gives a faster and greater
number of successful collisions of particles leading to particles traveling faster and sound spreading
faster, (Temperature and the speed of sound). Some factors that did not affect the velocity of sound
are:
- Pressure
- The effect of amplitude of the wave
- The effect of wavelength
That is where my investigation arises, to see how the temperature of a medium for a sound
wave to be in affects the velocity of propagation of sound? As Pradeep. K. Verma, a physics teacher at
SMRJ, says, “As the temperature of the medium increases, the velocity of sound increases in the
medium,” (Verma Factors affecting the speed of sound). In fact, the velocity of sound is directly
proportional to the square root of the temperature of the medium 𝑉α 𝑇 where T is the temperature in
the Kelvin scale. The velocity of sound in air increases by about 0.61ms-1 for each degree celsius rise
in temperature (provided that the rise in temperature is not very large), VT = V0 + 0.61T as mentioned
by Binoy Bagri, (Bagri Factors affecting the velocity of sound in a Gas). Where VT is the velocity of
sound in air at any temperature of t degrees celsius, v0 is the velocity of sound at zero degrees Celsius.

Now for this experiment since I am focusing on changing the temperature of a medium and
measuring the velocity of sound. It will be extremely difficult to use a solid and liquid and put a sound
wave through them, therefore I will have to focus on gas. This is where the resonance tube comes into
play. By using a resonance tube I can measure the temperature inside the tube as the air medium. To
increase or decrease the temperature inside the tube, I can heat or cool the surroundings which we
then assume will perfectly transfer temperature to the air inside. Since we cannot directly heat it with
fire or ice, we can place the tube in a body of water and change the temperature of the water. Since the
resonance tube will be placed into the water, there will be an open end and a closed end. To measure
the velocity of sound, we must use a tuning fork and activate it over the open end and slowly raise the
tube above the water. Soon we will hear the fundamental tone/first harmonic sound. The fundamental
tone is also called the first harmonic which is the lowest possible value of the frequency. To form a
standing wave pattern, the minimum possible frequency at which the string would vibrate is called the
fundamental frequency. When we hear the fundamental frequency, we mark the point at which the
tube side touches the water surface. Then we measure the length from the open end to the point. This
will be our L and using these we can apply to the equation for the first frequency in a closed-end tube
𝑣
𝑓= 4𝐿
→ 4𝑓𝐿 = 𝑣. With this equation, we will find the velocity and then place it into the equation
above to find the relationship between temperature and velocity.

Hypothesis
If the temperature of the medium increases the velocity of sound will increase because the
kinetic energy will make the particles vibrate and collide more frequently leading to a higher
fundamental frequency, which is a higher length. Since, 𝑣 = 𝑓4𝐿 when the length increases the speed
will also increase. Using the fundamental tone equation we will be able to find the speed of sound.
Next, we can linearize this equation of VT = V0 + 0.61T into y=mx+c by having, m as 0.61/1, y as V T,
V0 as c, and T as x. If the correlation is strong the hypothesis holds true. Since V0 is a constant and has
a theoretical value of 344 ms-1, if the experimental speed of sound is close to the theoretical value
then the experiment is right.
Variables
Independent variable: The temperature of the medium, air inside the resonance tube, will be
changed by manipulating the temperature of the surrounding environment, water, by placing ice for
colder and boiling water for hotter. This will be controlled to set values of the experiment by being
measured using a digital thermometer connected to a tracker for temperature values.
Dependent variable: After the medium is at the preferred temperature, the resonance tube will then
be tested by a controlled tuning fork to find the fundamental tone, (first harmonic), of the close-ended
resonance tube. This will then be measured to find the length which will be placed into the formula to
find the velocity of sound at the given temperature.

Control of variables
Controlling variables of the experiment from most important to least important:
1. Tuning fork frequency, i.e. all materials. Must remain the same for the frequency is a constant
in the experiment and thus will keep the formula the same for each temperature and length.
The tuning fork remains the same at 480Hz.
2. Velocity of measurement must be swift since the air will flow through the resonance tube fast
thus changing the temperature of the medium over a short period of time. Limit to
measurement less than 15 seconds.
3. The angle at which the tuning fork is activated onto the open end must be in the right position
for the wave and vibrations to travel into the resonance tube precisely.
4. Marker tip and placement of point must remain sharp and accurate so that the length is
accurate each time
5. Tube placement height will affect how much water is inside the tube and how much of the
medium is left over. This must remain constant to avoid different temperatures and flow rates.
6. Ruler type must remain the same as varying rulers can differ the measurement ever so
slightly.

Apparatus/Materials
- 1X glass resonance tube
- 1X Vernier data recorder
- 1X Digital temperature recorder
- Box of ice
- Hot kettle
- Measuring cylinder
- 1X Tuning fork of 480 Hz
- 1X 250ml measuring cylinder
- Boss, stand and clamp
Method

A. Create a setup as displayed in figure 2.

B. Heat the water with the boiling kettle and then pour it into the measuring cylinder
C. Place the resonance tube inside ¾ in the water
D. Leave the remaining air on top and place a digital thermometer with a capsule to limit air
passing through
E. Wait til desired temperature then proceed to test the tuning fork
F. Take off the lid and swiftly place an activated tuning fork on top of the tube as shown in
figure 3
G. Keep the tuning fork directly above the opening and slowly raise the tube out of water.
H. When the fundamental tone is heard, the maximum reflected sound, measure the point of the
tube on the surface of the water with marker
I. Remove the tube entirely and measure the distance from the point to the top (opening) of the
tube
J. Record and place values in a table, then repeat steps B-I for the preferred number of trials
K. Repeat steps B-J for the preferred number of temperatures

Safety precautions
In this experiment, there are many safety precautions that must be taken place. When dealing
with high heat from boiling water, one must equip protection such as safety goggles and rubber gloves
at all times and stay at a distance to avoid splashing the skin. When dealing with glass apparatus, one
must handle it with care and delicacy so as to not break the objects and cause the shattered glass to be
in contact with skin leading to fatal wounds. When handling ice, contact time must be limited to avoid
ice burns, the use of things can be an alternative to raw hands.
Data collection and processing

Data collection
Table 1: The trials of lengths for each temperature
(Temperature (Length ± 0. 0005) (m)
± 0. 1) (Co)
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 Mean Trial

20 0.184 0.186 0.187 0.186 0.191 0.187

30 0.180 0.178 0.180 0.177 0.177 0.178

40 0.169 0.168 0.172 0.167 0.174 0.170

50 0.160 0.162 0.160 0.163 0.166 0.162

60 0.153 0.155 0.154 0.150 0.148 0.152

70 0.146 0.148 0.149 XXX XXX 0.148

Table 2: The velocities of each temperature

(Temperature (Velocity ± 0. 002) (ms-1)
± 0. 1) (Co)
T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 Mean Trial

20 353.28 357.12 359.04 357.12 366.72 359.04

30 345.61 341.76 345.61 339.84 339.84 341.76

40 324.48 322.56 330.24 320.64 334.08 326.47

50 307.22 311.04 307.22 312.96 318.72 311.04

60 293.76 297.64 295.68 288.31 284.16 291.84

70 280.32 284.16 286.08 XXX XXX 284.16

Data analysis
∆𝑎
To calculate uncertainty, use: 𝑎

Table 3: The uncertainties for each variable

Uncertainty in temperature (Co) Uncertainty in length (m) Uncertainty in velocity (ms-1)

0.0050 0.0027 0.0000056

 0.0033 0.0028 0.0000059

0.0025 0.0029 0.0000061

0.0020 0.0031 0.0000064

0.0017 0.0033 0.0000069

0.0014 0.0034 0.0000071

Table 4: Gradient calculations & calculations for the value of V0

Gradient calculations V0 calculations

𝑉 =𝑉 + 0. 61𝑇 V0 = y-intercept
𝑇 0
0.61 V0 = 388.4
M= 1 Vmax = 394
M = -1.542 Vmin = 385

| 𝑀 −𝑀 | | 𝑉 −𝑉 |
∆𝑀 = | 𝑚𝑎𝑥2 𝑚𝑖𝑛 | ∆𝑉 = | 𝑚𝑎𝑥2 𝑚𝑖𝑛 |
| | | |
| −1.610−(−1.400) |
∆𝑀 = | 2 | ∆𝑉 = 4. 5
∆𝑀 = 0. 105 𝑉 = 388. 4 ± 4. 5
∆𝑉 4.5
𝑉
% = 388.4 × 100 = 1. 2%
𝑀 = 1. 542 ± 0. 105
∆𝑀 0.105
𝑀
% = 1.542 × 100 = 6. 8%

Data presentation

Figure 4, Graph showing ms-1 vs Co

Outcomes

Conclusion
From figure 4, the trend line shows a negative correlation between temperature (Co) and
velocity (ms-1). This means when temperature increases the velocity decreases. Furthermore, the
relationship is linear displaying the true proportionality of the variables. The correlation factor was
very strong at -0.9961 meaning the proportionality is very high and inversely proportional. From the
hypothesis, I expected that as temperature increases the velocity would increase too. However, from
my graph, it is seen that they are inversely proportional, meaning if the temperature increases, velocity
decreases. This is seen by the negative gradient/slope. The value of V o was surprisingly in no way
close to the theoretical value. Whilst the experimental value was 388.4ms-1 the real value is 344ms-1.
This shows that the values were extremely far from the project values. Especially when we plug it into
the deviation formula we see:

𝐸𝑥𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒−𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 |

Percentage deviation = || 𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑙 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒 | × 100%
388− 344
Percentage deviation = || 344
| × 100% = 12.7%
|

Values above 10% percentage uncertainty are considered to be high, and 5% percentage
uncertainty or below are considered to be low. This means that the percentage uncertainty of my
experimental value of V0 was very far off from the theoretical value. There are many reasons for this
which will be discussed in

Evaluation
To summarize, the data was not as reliable as it should have been. We noticed that the data displays
the inverse relationship of the hypothesized variables. However, we know this cannot be the case
since scientists have already found the real relationship between temperature and velocity.
Nevertheless, the problem lies within the data set. From what we notice the pattern is that as
temperature increases, the length decreases. However, when transporting it over the values changed
meaning the highest length went to the lowest temperature and the lowest length went to the highest
temperature. This was the biggest failed part of the experiment, recording and presenting the data
wrong. Since there is a small chance this could be one of the possibilities of the big error, we can keep
this as a major improvement for next times lab report or anyone else who seeks to research this same
topic. However, this arrangement should not affect the value of Vo. That is a whole other problem due
to systematic and random errors.

Over the course of the experiment mostly all of the controlled variables were controlled to most of the
ability. A few of the factors that hindered the experiment or could have been hindered are mentioned
below and will be discussed more improvements on the bottom under the improvement section.

Firstly, the error came in the speed of performing the experiment thus creating a higher error margin.
Since the medium cools down fast, the measurement must be done with a great amount of speed and
accuracy. However, due to human error, the swiftness was low therefore by the time the measurements
were completed the medium had already decreased temperature, thus changing the lengths and the
final velocity.
Secondly, the reason that V0 is high is that the values were extremely high, thus causing the equation
to start off higher. This was a huge problem and was likely caused by the measurement of the length.
The length changes the theoretical fundamental tone velocity hence increasing it high. The length was
too high because of 2 reasons, measurement was wrong due to systematic error, and the fundamental
tone was wrong due to random error, both being caused by human error. To reduce the error a digital
sound detector can be used to find the most accurate first harmonic.

Improvements
To have a further and much bigger improvement for the next time experiment is done, there
are major improvements that can be made to reduce the errors by a lot. First, the biggest improvement
can be made to have a more accurate fundamental tone. Since the human is listening to the sound and
trying to find his/her version of the most resonance, it will vary to another human. Having a digitized
sound detector will give the most accurate fundamental tone.
Firstly, arranging by chance if the data is handled wrong then next time it should be arranged
correctly and double-checked to see if the values match up. However, this is rarely the case and can be
listed under special improvement circumstances.
Secondly, when dealing with mediums that are heated for a short period of time, it is always
necessary to be swift in the experiment. Since the air inside the tube cools down relatively fast, the
measure of the fundamental tone should be quick. However again due to human error, the velocity is
not quick enough and therefore produces higher random error leading to lower precision.
Thirdly, the action of heating and cooling the air around a source takes a great amount of
time. Therefore some other method must be used to velocity up the process. The ice placed in the
cylinder to cool down the temperature took longer than an hour to reach 19 degrees celsius. The heat
on the other hand did not reach 70 degrees celsius for the last 2 trials at all. The setup and temperature
materials must be changed next time such as placing a heating coil inside the water and putting the ice
and setting up at an overall cooler temperature since it was room temperature of 26 degrees in the lab.
Fourthly, since the tuning fork was held by a human, the angle and position it was placed
relative to the open-end resonant tube likely varied each time and kept changing as the tube was raised
higher and higher. This error can be reduced by having an improvement of using a higher boss, stand,
and clamp and slowly bringing it up keeping the distance and angle to the open end the same
throughout the trial.
Finally, more data can be obtained meaning a higher number of trials can be produced to have
a greater amount of data available. This in turn will provide more accurate results thus leading to
smaller random errors and a higher correlation between the variables. As we can see, due to the
apparatus not providing the correct temperature the last 2 trials for 70 degrees celsius were not
recorded, meaning that the data was not finished. Next time multiple or higher quality apparatus are
obtained to reach a higher temperature.

Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge my peers and professor for the guidance therefore, allowing me to
conclude my research in an excellent-quality report.
Works Cited
Verma, Pradeep K. “Factors Affecting the velocity of Sound.” YouTube, Pradeep.K.Verma, 23
Nov. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOuW5jXcKZ8.

Dr. Shini, Somara. “Sound: Crash Course Physics #18.” YouTube, CrashCourse, 4 Aug. 2016,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qV4lR9EWGlY.

Bagri, Binoy. “Factors Affecting the Speed of Sound in a Gas.” YouTube, Physica, 19 Oct.
2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=64YTv5NN90A.

Team, Vedantu Content. “What Is the First Harmonic?” Vedantu, Vedantu, 8 Mar. 2021,
www.vedantu.com/question-answer/what-is-the-first-harmonic-class-11-physics-cbse-6046253f
3ac9b20ca42ba540.

“Temperature and the Speed of Sound.” Nondestructive Evaluation Physics : Sound, Iowa State
University, 12 Feb. 2014, www.nde-ed.org/Physics/Sound/tempandspeed.xhtml.