Numerical Speed of Sound

The numerical speed of sound is a variable that is used in the numerical solution of flows from low to high speeds. The numerical speed of sound is an effective speed of sound associated with Mach numbers used in the numerical splitting of a flow into upwind and downwind mass-flux components that are defined on the faces of cells of a computational grid into which a flow volume is divided. Depending on the details of a given flow problem and the algorithm chosen to solve it, the numerical speed of sound may or may not equal the physical speed of sound.