Sound waves and gravity question

In summary, sound waves are compression waves in a medium and are not affected by gravity. The speed of sound is dependent on the properties of the medium it is traveling through. In the absence of air resistance, sound waves will travel with a constant velocity and do not need to accelerate. However, there are other types of waves in the upper atmosphere that are affected by gravity, but they are not considered sound waves.
  • #1
kay2500
[SOLVED] Sound waves and gravity question

Just a small question: are sound waves affected by gravity, and can thye have an initial and final velocity, or do they always have a constant velocity and do not need to accelerate?
 
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  • #2
Sound waves are compression waves in the atmosphere (or water, metal, etc. if they are moving through those).

Since they have neither mass nor the concentrated energy of light, they are not affected by gravity in the sense of being "bent" by gravity.

The speed of a sound wave is dependent on the "natural frequency" of the medium and so is affected by such things as air density. It is possible for sound to "reflect" or "diffract" when moving from an air mass of one density to another.
 
  • #3
Sound waves are inside movement of medium. If sound waves are affected by gravity, it would come from the effect of gravity on the medium. Speed and acceleration of sound waves are to come from property of the medium such as elasticity, temperature, anisotropy, existence of defects, etc.
 
  • #4
Hmm, so if I'm neglecting air resistance, then I don't have to worry about the sound "reflecting" or "diffracting"?

I suppose I should explain the problem that I'm deriving this question from ^^;;

Basically, it asks you how far sound has traveled in 3.4 seconds if there is no air resistance. So I'm assuming, by your replies, that with no air in the way, sound would have a constant velocity and I wouldn't need to factor in its acceleration?

Sorry if this all seems rudimentary to you, I'm starting AP Physics the coming school year, so I'm only going over pretty much the basics =P
 
  • #5
No air, no sound, isn't it. Sound we hear is usually a vibration of air.
 
  • #6
Well, I never said these problems made sense :P
 
  • #7
Air resistance doesn't apply to sound waves. Its not like a plane. Sound needs a medium to travel through. Without air (or other medium) there can be no sound. True, sound loses energy as it vibrates through the air, but that can't be considered air resistence in the most familiar sense of the word. If you negelect that, the sound wave will travel forever, unless it hits something else, that is.
 
  • #8
... unless it hits something else ...
Or maybe leave the medium to space too ?
 
  • #9
Actually, there are waves in the upper atmosphere which are largely governed by gravity. Have you ever observed 'rippled clouds'? Well, I think these are created by 'orographic motion' in the atmosphere, where the gravitational component gets in the same order of magnitude as adiabatic pressure & density. I learned this under the German term of 'Atmosphärische Schwerewellen'. Well I guess you can't really call this 'sound'. But you get the solution from the same wave equation, if you *don't* neglect gravity.
 

What are sound waves?

Sound waves are a type of mechanical wave that travel through a medium, such as air or water, and are caused by vibrations. They are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude.

How do sound waves travel?

Sound waves travel by creating a disturbance in the medium they are traveling through. This disturbance causes the particles of the medium to vibrate, and these vibrations are what we perceive as sound.

What is the difference between frequency and wavelength?

Frequency refers to the number of complete cycles a sound wave makes in one second, and is measured in Hertz (Hz). Wavelength, on the other hand, is the distance between two consecutive points of the wave that are in phase with each other, and is measured in meters (m).

How does gravity affect sound waves?

Gravity has no direct effect on sound waves, as they are a type of mechanical wave that requires a medium to travel through. However, gravity can indirectly affect the speed and direction of sound waves by changing the properties of the medium they are traveling through, such as air density and temperature.

Can sound waves travel through space?

No, sound waves cannot travel through space because there is no medium for them to travel through. In the vacuum of space, there are no particles to vibrate and carry the sound wave, so it cannot be heard.

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