The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound in air is about 343 metres per second ...

Sound has a speed limit. Under normal circumstances, its waves can travel no faster than about 36 kilometers per second, physicists propose October 9 in Science Advances. Sound zips along at different ...

A quiet revolution is taking shape in the world of physics, and it doesn’t rely on exotic particles or massive particle colliders. Instead, it begins with something much more familiar—sound.

From vibrating strings to plasma waves in space, frequency and wave behavior influence phenomena all around us. Scientists, educators, and citizen volunteers are exploring how wave speed, wavelength, ...

Scientists at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne have developed a device that directs sound waves in one direction without wasting energy. This breakthrough sound wave ...

The terahertz quantum cascade laser on its mounting. Credit: University of Leeds Lasers that switch on and off billions of times per second are the backbone of optical communications networks, but ...

A research team at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has discovered a new type of sound wave: the airborne sound wave vibrates transversely and carries both rotation and orbital angular momentum ...

The universal speed limit of any kind of wave – be it electromagnetic or gravitational – travelling through a vacuum has been known since Albert Einstein developed his theory of special relativity in ...

On Mars, the speed of sound depends on its pitch. All sound travels slower through Mars’ air compared with Earth’s. But the higher-pitched clacks of a laser zapping rocks travels slightly faster in ...