In a simple experiment to determine the speed of sound , an observer with a stopwatch stands on a flat stretch of land and an assistant standing at a distance of 800m fires a pistol. the observer starts his stopwatch when he sees a flash of the pistol and stops it when he hears the sound of the shot. The time intervals obtained for 3 experiments are : 2.2,2.3,2.1 sec.
Calculate a vale for the speed of sound in air

Question

In a simple experiment to determine the speed of sound , an observer with a stopwatch stands on a flat stretch of land and an assistant standing at a distance of 800m fires a pistol. the observer starts his stopwatch when he sees a flash of the pistol and stops it when he hears the sound of the shot. The time intervals obtained for 3 experiments are : 2.2,2.3,2.1 sec.
Calculate a vale for the speed of sound in air

anonymous · Answer

Use speed=distance/time. Average the 3 values of time you gave and use this as your time value in seconds. You know the distance in metres, therefore your answer will be in m/s. I got 363.63 m/s, seems resonable considering the accepted value is 343 m/s. Give it a go.