Another way to determine the speed of sound in a CO2 atmosphere:
You will need:
a mailing tube with removable caps, about a meter long and about 6 cm in
diameter;
a meter stick;
a 9 volt buzzer with known frequency small enough to fit inside the mailing
tube. (I got
mine from Radio Shack);
a 9 volt battery for the buzzer;
an on-off switch wired to the buzzer and battery with about 50 cm wires;
and a piece of dry ice to fit inside the mailing tube.
Cap one end of the tube and place the dry ice inside. The dry ice will
sublimate and after a few minutes most of the atmosphere inside the tube should be
CO2. You may want to shake the tube a few times to insure better purging.
Attach the buzzer to the end of the meter stick with tape or hot glue.
Lower the buzzer-stick assembly into the tube, about half way keeping the
battery and switch outside the tube. (the buzzing sound becomes annoying after a
while)
Turn tbe buzzer on and slide the meter stick-buzzer aasembly inside the tube
up and down slowly to determine the points (nodes and antinodes) at which the
sound becomes
faint or loud acting as a closed end vibrating column.
Knowing that the distance between successive nodes or between antinodes is
half a wavelength, you can then calculate the speed of sound in the chosen
atmosphere.
This method works for an open end column also.
The outcome of this method depends on how well can one discriminate between
faint and loud sounds.
Have fun.
Greg Darakjian, Retired.
Anaheim High School