THE SPEED OF SOUND

Sound waves travel at different speeds through different mediums. When we talk about “the speed of sound” we’re referring to our most common reference point, which is how quickly sounds travel through the air. In dry air of 0°C, sound waves travel at 331 metres per second (m/s). In water, they move at 1,481m/s In a solid, like iron, they travel at 5,120m/s. That’s faster than Usain Bolt when he ran his worldrecord-breaking 10,44m/s in the 100m race!

A sonic boom is a sound associated with shock waves created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound.