Sound velocity, more rigorously termed the speed of sound, is the phase velocity at which small-amplitude mechanical disturbances propagate through a medium and is determined by the medium’s elastic and inertial properties. In a homogeneous, isotropic medium, it is given by \(c = \sqrt{K/\rho}\) for fluids, where \(K\) is the bulk modulus and \(\rho\) the mass density, or by \(c = \sqrt{(K + 4G/3)/\rho}\) for longitudinal waves in solids, with \(G\) the shear modulus. Sound velocity is frequency-independent in the linear, non-dispersive regime but can exhibit dispersion in complex or structured materials.
New research led by scientists at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography finds that the travel time of underwater sounds moving across the Arctic Ocean can be used to precisely measure ocean temperature under ...
Ecology
Mar 31, 2026
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A long-standing mystery about how wild bats navigate complex environments in complete darkness with remarkable precision, has been solved in a new University of Bristol-led study. The findings are published in Proceedings ...
Plants & Animals
Jan 20, 2026
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Acoustic signals have been important markers during NASA's Mars missions. Measurements of sound can provide information both about Mars itself—such as turbulence in its atmosphere, changes in its temperature, and its surface ...
Planetary Sciences
Dec 4, 2025
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Few of us ever think about what happens beneath our feet when we walk through a field of wheat or clover. We see the stalks, leaves, and flowers, but in practice we have no direct access to the roots.
Plants & Animals
Sep 1, 2025
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66
A recent study has mathematically clarified how the presence of crystals and gas bubbles in magma affects the propagation of seismic P-waves. The researchers derived a new equation that characterizes the travel of these waves ...
Soft Matter
May 21, 2025
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Sound waves travel through different types of matter, including liquid water. Importantly, the movement of ocean water can greatly affect how sound waves travel from one point to another.
Earth Sciences
Apr 16, 2025
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Researchers have developed a new method to measure force and atomic bonds at the nanoscale that reveals that the speed of sound depends on the structure it is traveling through.
Nanomaterials
Sep 16, 2021
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