#Speed of sound at altitude how to
#Speed of sound at altitude software

This activity focuses on the following Three Dimensional Learning aspects of NGSS: Use mathematical representations to describe a simple model for waves that includes how the amplitude of a wave is related to the energy in a wave.Ĭlick to view other curriculum aligned to this Performance Expectation Verify a scientific claim by examining evidence of relationships of data (graphs).Describe changes in real-world data and how it affects design and graph relationships of independent and dependent variables.

#Speed of sound at altitude how to

Explain how sound functions and how to measure changes in the speed of sound.When engineers get information from measurements, they must critically examine the data to assure that it measures what they are trying to measure (also known as validity) and also determine its accuracy.Īfter this activity, students should be able to: Measuring how the speed of sound varies with altitude and what factors cause or contribute to its variation gives an engineer valuable design information. These two characteristics also lead to design tradeoffs. For example, two properties which determine how an aircraft wing will perform are density and speed of sound. Properties such as temperature, pressure, and density depend on altitude. To design aircraft, rockets, and sensors, an engineer must know the characteristics of the atmosphere where these devices operate. This engineering curriculum aligns to Next Generation Science Standards ( NGSS). Moreover, students determine that the speed of sound data loses accuracy at high altitude and low temperature, highlighting limitations of the data and challenges that engineers face when designing an experiment. By graphing these data against other measurements such as air pressure, humidity, and temperature, students conclude that the speed of sound varies as a function of temperature, but not air pressure and humidity. Using data collected with payload sensors attached to a high-altitude balloon students examine, interpret, verify theoretical speed of sound equations.

Measurement of Speed of Sound Profile using LaACES BalloonUnderstanding the layers of the atmosphere and their effects on aerospace designs helps engineers design explore the skies-and beyond! In this activity, students make sense of and use real world data to investigate a variety of phenomena including the speed of sound, waves, air pressure, humidity, and temperature at high altitude. Keywords: speed of sound, ultrasonic sensor, atmospheric acoustics, ballooning Test data are analyzed and further improvements are planned. “Dorothy 2” was launched at Southern Illinois University (SIU) during the solar eclipse on Aug. Ultrasonic pings were sent and received more frequently to reduce noise. A heater was attached to the ultrasonic sensor but isolated from the environment. A few modifications were made over the summer of 2017. However, the ultrasonic sensor stopped working below ‒40 ☌ and the collected data were noisy. Dorothy was launched at the NASA CSBF in May 2017. An SD card shield was connected to the Arduino board for data storage and RTC clock.

#Speed of sound at altitude software

Software for the project was developed in Arduino DUE. An ultrasonic sensor with a reflection mirror were installed outside payload box to measure speed of sound. The team constructed the payload “Dorothy” using polystyrene foam due to its lightweight and thermal isolation property. In conjunction with this testing, environmental parameters including temperature, pressure, and humidity are measured and used to calculate the speed of sound to compare to the measured results. The goal of this mission is to test the speed of sound at different altitudes and ultimately at a maximum height of 100,000 feet (30 km).