Can sound travel faster than sound?

Question

If there are two sound waves, one a high pitch and one with a low pitch. The low wave has long waves and the high has narrow waves.

The high pitch goes up and down a lot more than the low pitch, if they go the same distance and arrive at the same time (the speed of sound) then surely the high pitch has covered more area?

So does a low sound go slower than the speed of sound? Or a high go faster? Or both the same, and how/why?

Thanks.

Answer 1

In the same medium, like air, sound waves of different frequencies (hence different wavelengths) trave at the same speed. Sound is a compression wave meaning the displacement of the transmission media is in the direction of the wave propagation. That means the picture you're using - displacement perpendicular to the direction of propagation, is not correct for sound. There is no "area covered" by displacement transverse to the direction of propagation.

Answer 2

Interesting question... I believe that the speed of sound is the same (and "sound" is somewhat arbitrarily defined as the range of frequencies the human ear can typically hear). How fast the sound energy dissipates certainly changes with frequency. Humans discovered that, for example, elephants communicate with each other over long distances by using infra-sound (frequencies too low for human ears but not too low for elephant's ears). Of course the speed of sound varies depending on the medium it is travelling thru (it travels faster in water than in air).

Answer 3

Regardless of wavelength, sound waves travel about the same speed, which is about 768mph at sea level with regular moisture.



The speed of sound only varies due to the medium through which it is conducted.



Think about light waves: regardless of wavelength, light always travels the speed of light (186,000 mi/second).