In air at 21 degrees C (70°F), speed of sound is 344 meters per second, or 1129 ft per second. At freezing, the numbers are 331 m/s or 1087 ft/s.

Sound is a vibration that travels through an elastic medium as a wave. The speed of sound describes how much distance such a wave travels in a given amount of time.

The proper formula for the change in speed due to temperature is:

Where T is degrees Celsius. The works out to about a 0.1% change per degree Fahrenheit. The speed of sound is variable and depends mainly on the temperature and the properties of the substance through which the wave is traveling.

The Speed of sound in water travels at about 1497 m/s at 25 °C. More than 3000 miles per hour.

Sound measurements