Functional reduction in the justification of sound wave adiabaticity

Abstract

In this paper we present the results of an exploratory investigation in which we analyze an erroneous interpretation on the adiabatic hypothesis of sound. The persistence of this interpretation is explained according to a tendency of the spontaneous thought in reducing the complexity of problems with multiple variables and privileging one of them over the other ones. It is shown how this functional reduction is manifested as much in physics texts as in some university professors practice when they try to justify why the sound waves should be considered adiabatic and not isothermic ones.