What is the speed of sound in water?

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Sharpen your skills for the Davies Publishing SPI Test with targeted flashcards and multiple-choice questions, complete with hints and clarifications. Prepare thoroughly for success!

Multiple Choice

What is the speed of sound in water?

Explanation:
The speed of sound in a medium depends on how stiff the medium is relative to its density, described roughly by v ≈ sqrt(K/ρ) for liquids, where K is the bulk modulus and ρ is the density. Water is quite incompressible (high K) and has a moderate density, so sound waves can propagate quickly. Plugging typical room-temperature values for fresh water into v ≈ sqrt(K/ρ) gives about 1,480 meters per second. This is the standard reference value for water under common conditions, with seawater varying slightly around that range depending on temperature and salinity. So, the best match is 1,480 m/s. The other numbers are not typical for water under ordinary conditions—3,500 m/s would be more like a solid, while 1,560 or 1,700 m/s would require conditions outside the standard fresh-water, room-temperature reference.

The speed of sound in a medium depends on how stiff the medium is relative to its density, described roughly by v ≈ sqrt(K/ρ) for liquids, where K is the bulk modulus and ρ is the density. Water is quite incompressible (high K) and has a moderate density, so sound waves can propagate quickly. Plugging typical room-temperature values for fresh water into v ≈ sqrt(K/ρ) gives about 1,480 meters per second. This is the standard reference value for water under common conditions, with seawater varying slightly around that range depending on temperature and salinity.

So, the best match is 1,480 m/s. The other numbers are not typical for water under ordinary conditions—3,500 m/s would be more like a solid, while 1,560 or 1,700 m/s would require conditions outside the standard fresh-water, room-temperature reference.

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