658 Chapter 11
Thermodynamic Relations
The isentropic compressibility is related to the speed at which sound travels in a
substance, and such speed measurements can be used to determine a. In Sec. 9.12.2,
the velocity of sound, or sonic velocity, is introduced as
c 5
B
2y
2
a
0
p
0y
b
s
(9.36b)
The relationship of the isentropic compressibility and the velocity of sound can be
obtained using the relation between partial derivatives expressed by Eq. 11.15. Iden-
tifying p with x, y with y, and s with z, we have
a
0
p
0y
b
s
5
1
10y
/
0p2
s
With this, the previous two equations can be combined to give
c 5 1y
/
a (11.65)
The details are left as an exercise.
TAKE NOTE...
Through the Mach number,
the sonic velocity c plays
an important role in analyz-
ing flow in nozzles and
diffusers. See Sec. 9.13.
velocity of sound
BIOCONNECTIONS The propagation of elastic waves, such as sound waves,
has important implications related to injury in living things. During impact such as
a collision in a sporting event (see accompanying figure), elastic waves are created
that cause some bodily material to move relative to the rest of the body. The waves can
propagate at supersonic, transonic, or subsonic speeds depending on the nature of the
impact, and the resulting trauma can cause serious damage. The waves may be focused
into a small area, causing localized damage, or they may be reflected at the boundary of
organs and cause more widespread damage.
An example of the focusing of waves occurs in some head injuries. An impact to the
skull causes flexural and compression waves to move along the curved surface and arrive
at the far side of the skull simultaneously. Waves also propagate through the softer brain
tissue. Consequently, concussions, skull fractures, and other injuries can appear at loca-
tions away from the site of the original impact.
Central to an understanding of traumatic injury is data on speed of sound and other
elastic characteristics of organs and tissues. For humans the speed of sound varies widely,
from approximately 30–45 m/s in spongy lung tissue to about 1600 m/s in muscle and
3500 m/s in bone. Because the speed of sound in the lungs is relatively low, impacts such
as in automobile collisions or even air-bag deployment can set up waves that propagate super-
sonically. Medical personnel responding to traumas are trained to check for lung injuries.
The study of wave phenomena in the body constitutes an important area in the field of
biomechanics.
11.5.2
Relations Involving Specific Heats
In this section, general relations are obtained for the difference between specific heats
(c
p
2 c
y
) and the ratio of specific heats c
p
/c
y
.
EVALUATING (c
P
2 c
Y
). An expression for the difference between c
p
and c
y
can be obtained by equating the two differentials for entropy given by Eqs. 11.48
and 11.57 and rearranging to obtain
1c
p
2 c
y
2
dT 5 T a
0
p
0T
b
y
dy 1 T a
0y
0T
b
p
dp
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