Re: How would sounds sound like on Venusian surface?

Using equations from the introductory Physics text (1), we see that the speed of sound v is proportional to the square root of pressure p over mass m of the particle:

		v = sqrt(p/m)

Since p is proportional to temperature T (from the ideal gas law: pV=nRT), we can say that the that speed of sound is proportional to the square root of T/m:

		v = sqrt(T/m)

So, yes, temperature and atmospheric particles will affect the way we would hear sounds on Venus.

How? Venus' temperature is about 750 K (2) and its atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide (C0₂) (2), both of which are extremely different from those of Earth (T= 293 K, atmosphere is mostly nitrogen (N₂) and oxygen (O₂)). Since the mass of CO₂ and the mass of N₂+O₂ are roughly equal, it would seem that the temperature most affects the speed of sound on Venus when compared to the speed of sound on Earth.

Now vV/vE = sqrt(TV/TE) = sqrt(2.6) = 1.6 so the speed of sound is 1.6 times higher on Venus. This means that we would hear all sounds at higher frequencies.

1. Fundamentals of Physics, 5th Edition, Halliday, Resnick and Walker, 1997, p. 426--427.

2. Moons and Planets, Hartmann, 1999, p. 14--15.