A student records pairs of values of the speed of sound and the absolute temperature…
PHYSICS · Multi-part · CBSE · Physics · Kinetic Theory · Kinetic Theory
Problem
A student records pairs of values of the speed of sound v and the absolute temperature T of air and plots v against T. The plotted points lie close to a straight line.
(i) Explain qualitatively why a graph of v versus T for a given gas is expected to be a straight line.
(ii) State what physical constant(s), if any, can be extracted from the gradient of such a line and justify your answer.
(iii) Two of the data points are (T=273K,v=331ms−1) and (T=313K,v=355ms−1). Using only these two points, estimate the numerical value of the gradient dTdv and interpret its physical meaning.