The easy answer to the question "What is the speed of sound" is 1126 feet per second, or 343 meters per second. The full answer is a little more complicated.
Typically, the speed of sound is measured in dry air at 68 degrees Farenheit at sea level. Here in Central Florida, that at least makes on part of the equation simple! As the temperature, humidity, and barometric pressure change, so does the speed.
How does this help us in the audio world? Usually in Houses of Worship, there are many acoustical problems. The use of broadband and low frequency absorbers are used to remove some of the acoustic energy in a room. As you know more of the problems in your particular room, you can pinpoint frequencies and design solutions to nearly pinpoint these problem frequencies. The greater the accuracy with your treatments, the more natural the sound that the congregation hears.
For example, suppose you are having feedback in the 1Khz range from the podium mics. By using a calculator, you will find that the Speed of Sound (1126ft/sec) divided by 1000 equals 1.126 ft. Lower frequencies have a longer wavelength, higher frequencies have a shorter wavelength. But now that we know that we have a wavelength of 1.126ft, we can create acoustical absorbers that use this dimension. I would suggest using absorption blocks of a least this length and width. As for the depth, the depth of 1.126ft is probably unpractical, so choose the deepest depth that would work in the room. How many of these panels should you use? As many as you can, but you probably won't hear a difference until you cover at least 25% of the back wall.
Hopefully this example helps, and gives you a practical use of the speed of sound. If you need help with your House of Worship, and you're in the Central Florida and Orlando area, please drop us line and we'll be happy to help you out!
Have a wonderful day.
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