Speed of Sound in Air

The speed of sound in a gas depends primarily on the temperature, and can be estimated using the following formula from the kinetic theory of gases:^B.33

$$c = \sqrt{\gamma R_m T},$$

where, as discussed in the previous section, the adiabatic gas constant is $\gamma=1.4$ for dry air, $R_m=286$ is the ideal gas constant for air in meters-squared per second-squared per degrees-Kelvin-squared, and $T$ is absolute temperature in degrees Kelvin (which equals degrees Celsius + 273.15). For example, at zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit), the speed of sound is calculated to be 1085.1 feet per second. At 20 degrees Celsius, we get 1124.1 feet per second.