Which of the following would conduct sound waves fastest?
hot metal (70°C)
cold air (10°C)
hot air (70°C)
cold metal (10°C)
1 answer
Hot metal (70°C) would conduct sound waves fastest. In general, sound waves travel faster through denser materials such as solids than through less dense materials such as gases. The metal is denser than air and therefore would conduct sound waves faster. Additionally, hotter materials generally have higher speeds of sound, so the hot metal would be the fastest conductor of sound in this list.