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A train worker hits a subway rail with a metal hammer. You are standing #Δx = 86# meters down the track from him while he does this. You hear two different sounds. One from the sound as it passes through the metal and the other #187# milliseconds later after the same initial vibrations pass through the air. What is the speed of sound in the metal track?
A train worker hits a subway rail with a metal hammer. You are standing
1 Answer
Clearly this 187 milliseconds difference were created between the two sounds because sound travels faster through metal,
Let,velocity of sound through metal is
And, if velocity of sound in air is
Given,
So,
Now,speed of sound in air is about
so, solving we get,