The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of TIME by a sound WAVE as it propagates through an elastic medium. At 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound in air is about 343 metres per second (1,235 km/h; 1,125 ft/s; 767 mph; 667 KN), or a kilometre in 2.9 s or a mile in 4.7 s.