# Engineering Acoustics/Speed of sound

When sound waves propagate in a medium, they cause fluctuations in the
pressure, density, temperature and particle velocity in the medium. The
total pressure, $P$, in the medium can be expressed as:

$P=P_o+p'$

where $P_o$ is the hydrostatic or ambient pressure and $p'$ is the
acoustic pressure or pressure fluctuation.

The hydrostatic pressure can be thought as the mean pressure while the
acoustic pressure represents fluctuations around the mean pressure.
Similarly, the density, temperature, and particle velocity are separated
into mean and fluctuating components.

$\rho=\rho_o+\varrho '$

$T=T_o + T'$

$\vec{U} =\vec{u}_o+\vec{u}'$

where $\rho_o$ is the ambient density; $\varrho '$, the density
fluctuation; $T_o$, the ambient temperature; $T'$, the temperature
fluctuation; $\vec{u}_o$, the mean velocity; and $\vec{u}'$, the
particle velocity. Notice that pressure, density, and temperature are
scalar quantities and the particle velocity is a vectorial quantity.
!Planar wave traveling inside a
tube\|440x440px
Let\'s consider a planar wave traveling in the x-direction inside a tube
filled with a fluid at rest ($\vec{u}_o=0$) with constant pressure,
density and temperature ($P_o$, $\rho_o$, and $T_o$, respectively). As
the wave moves through the fluid at a speed, $c_o$,  it creates
infinitesimally small fluctuations in the initially stagnant fluid in
front. All four quantities describing the fluid vary around their mean
value, increasing or decreasing depending on whether the fluid is being
compressed or expanded. To obtain a relation for the propagating speed,
$c_o$, an inertial frame of reference is used and a control volume is
drawn around the wave. !Control volume around a traveling planar
wave\|400x400px
Applying continuity,

$\rho_o c_o A = (\rho_o+\varrho')(c_o-u') A$

and neglecting higher order terms,

$\rho_o u'= c_o \varrho'$

Applying conservation of momentum,

$P_o+ \rho_o c_o^2 = P_o + p' + (\rho_o+\varrho')(c_o-u')^2$

neglecting higher order terms,

$\rho_o c^2_o = p' + (\rho_o+\varrho')(c_o^2-2 c_o u')$

$0 = p' + -2c_o \rho_o u' +\varrho' c_o^2$,

and using the continuity equation,

$c_o^2=\frac{p'}{\varrho'}$

The speed of sound is related to the ratio of pressure fluctuation
(acoustic pressure) to density fluctuation. Given that the speed of
sound is always a positive quantity, an increase in the fluid pressure
implies an increase in the fluid density and vice versa. The total
pressure is expressed as a Taylor series expansion about the ambient
density to relate its infinitesimally small fluctuations to the total
pressure and density.

$P(\rho_o+\varrho')= P_o + p' = P(\rho_o)+ \frac{\partial P(\rho_o)}{\partial \rho} \varrho' + \frac{1}{2} \frac{\partial^2 P(\rho_o)}{\partial \rho^2} \varrho'^2 + ...$

Neglecting second order terms and higher, the speed of sound can be
related to the total pressure and density.

$c_o^2=\frac{p'}{\varrho'}= \frac{\partial P(\rho_o)}{\partial \rho}$

As a sound wave moves through a fluid, the fluid is usually assumed to
follow an adiabatic and reversible thermodynamic path. So, the heat
transfer between fluid particles is negligible and the changes caused by
the sound wave onto the fluid can be reverse to their original state
without changing the entropy of the system. For an isentropic process,
the total pressure and density are related by the thermodynamic
relation,

$P=C \rho^\gamma$.

Taking the partial derivative and using the ideal gas law,
$P=\rho R_g T$,

$\frac{\partial P}{\partial \rho} = C \gamma \rho ^{\gamma -1 } = \frac{\gamma P}{\rho} = \gamma R_g T$.

The speed of sound can be expressed in terms of the ambient pressure,
density and temperature using,

$c_o^2= \frac{\partial P(\rho_o)}{\partial \rho} =  \frac{\gamma P_o}{\rho_o} = \gamma R_g T_o$.

Using the definition of the Bulk modulus,

$B_o=\rho_o  \frac{\partial P(\rho_o)}{\partial \rho}= \gamma P_o$

the speed of sound can written as,

$c_o = \sqrt{\frac{\gamma P_o}{\rho_o}} = \sqrt{\frac{B_o}{\rho_o}} = \sqrt{ \gamma R_g T_o}$.

## See also

Original Document [^1]

Acoustics Wikibooks: Sound Speed

Speed of sound in
water

```{=html}
<references />
```

[^1]: 1
