Speed of sound in air ≈

**The reasoning** Sound travels through air as vibrations of air molecules bumping into each other. At room temperature (around 20°C – typical Nigerian weather), sound moves at approximately **330 m/s** (or more precisely, about 343 m/s). This is the standard value you need to memorize for physics exams. Think of it this way: sound takes roughly 3 seconds to travel 1 kilometer. When you see lightning and count seconds before hearing thunder, every 3 seconds ≈ 1 km away. This gives you **speed = distance/time = 1000m/3s ≈ 330 m/s**. **Why the wrong options tempt you** - **30 m/s** – This is about the speed of a fast car (108 km/h). If sound were this slow, conversations would have annoying delays! - **3,000 m/s** – You might confuse this with sound in solids (like steel), which is much faster than in air. - **300,000 m/s** – This is the speed of *light* (3 × 10⁸ m/s simplified). Common mix-up, but light is nearly a million times faster than sound! **Quick takeaway** Sound in air ≈ **330 m/s** – roughly the length of 3 football fields per second; always way slower than light but faster than any vehicle you'll ride.