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How does temperature affect the speed of sound in air?

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Watch a suspended vibrating spring to learn about the propagation of sound waves — sound Learn about the propagation of sound waves from a point source by observing the motion of a suspended vibrating spring.

The speed of sound in air increases as the temperature rises. This relationship exists because the speed of sound in a gas is directly proportional to the square root of its absolute temperature.12

In physics, the velocity of sound waves in a gas is determined by the properties of the medium, specifically its temperature, molecular weight, and the ratio of its specific heats. For an ideal gas, the speed of sound is independent of pressure, meaning it remains consistent regardless of altitude changes at a constant temperature.2

Historically, this phenomenon was demonstrated by G.L. Bianconi in 1740. Because the speed of sound is independent of frequency, sound waves do not experience dispersion as they travel through air, which allows for the clear transmission of complex sounds like music or speech over distances.123