Lower temperature slows the speed of sound predictably via thermal molecular motion

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 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Temperature inversion layers refract sound away and create silent zones; Speed of sound depends on temperature, not pressure; Speed of sound in a gas depends on temperature and molecular weight, not pressure (+3 more)

Related

• Speed of sound depends on temperature, not pressure (similarity 0.96)
• Sound speed in air varies only with the square root of absolute temperature (similarity 0.94)
• Speed of sound in a gas depends on temperature and molecular weight, not pressure (similarity 0.93)
• Humid air carries sound faster than dry air because water molecules are lighter (similarity 0.90)
• Sound speed in air follows molecular kinetic theory prediction (similarity 0.88)
• Temperature inversion layers refract sound away and create silent zones (similarity 0.87)
• Sound bends like light because temperature changes its speed. (similarity 0.86)
• Sound speed varies nearly linearly with temperature across normal living conditions (similarity 0.83)
• Sound information propagates slower than average molecular speed (similarity 0.83)
• Sound moves too fast for heat transfer, so air behaves adiabatically (similarity 0.82)
• A barely audible sound moves air only a few atoms’ width (similarity 0.80)
• Wind bends sound waves because air velocity changes with height (similarity 0.80)
• Wind refraction and humidity structure alter sound propagation in air (similarity 0.79)
• Wind speed gradients, not wind itself, refract sound and break reciprocity (similarity 0.79)
• Downwind sound is bent downward and waveguides along the ground, gaining intensity (similarity 0.78)

Broader Connections

• Sound speed in air varies only with the square root of absolute temperature #expands (0.90) — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 65
• Speed of sound in a gas depends on temperature and molecular weight, not pressure #expands (0.85)
• Sound bends like light because temperature changes its speed. #expands (0.75)