Humid air carries sound faster than dry air because water molecules are lighter

Evidence

Thus the speed of sound in air is dependent only on the square root of the absolute temperature, which can be obtained by adding 273 to the Celsius temperature; thus the speed of sound in air at 0°C and 20°C is: 1. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 65 (#qualifies, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Speed of sound in a gas depends on temperature and molecular weight, not pressure; Speed of sound depends on temperature, not pressure; Sound speed in air varies only with the square root of absolute temperature — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 65 (+2 more)

Related

• Speed of sound in a gas depends on temperature and molecular weight, not pressure (similarity 0.93)
• Speed of sound depends on temperature, not pressure (similarity 0.91)
• Sound speed in air varies only with the square root of absolute temperature (similarity 0.90)
• Lower temperature slows the speed of sound predictably via thermal molecular motion (similarity 0.90)
• Sound information propagates slower than average molecular speed (similarity 0.87)
• Sound speed in air follows molecular kinetic theory prediction (similarity 0.85)
• Sound moves too fast for heat transfer, so air behaves adiabatically (similarity 0.82)
• Wind refraction and humidity structure alter sound propagation in air (similarity 0.82)
• Air transmits sound efficiently because adjacent air cells are impedance matched (similarity 0.81)
• A medium’s intrinsic acoustic impedance equals density times sound speed (similarity 0.81)
• Sound bends like light because temperature changes its speed. (similarity 0.81)
• Sound in air travels at one speed for all wavelengths, unlike water waves (similarity 0.80)
• All acoustic impedances are ratios of force to velocity (similarity 0.79)
• Higher material density slows sound propagation speed (similarity 0.79)
• Atmospheric physics creates striking asymmetries in how sound travels (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Higher material density slows sound propagation speed #expands (0.85)
• Speed of sound depends on temperature, not pressure #qualifies (0.80)
• Sound speed in air varies only with the square root of absolute temperature #qualifies (0.80) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 65