Question

A student performs an experiment where he sends sound waves from the air through a solid, a liquid, and a gas. He records the speed of the wave traveling through each medium but forgets to label each medium. The table shows his observations.

Medium Speed Before (m/s)
X 972
Y 1,483
Z 5,940

The student knows that sound travels through room temperature air at 343 m/s. Based on the student's results, which medium is the solid, the liquid, and the gas?

a
X is the solid, Y is the liquid, and Z is the gas.
b
X is the liquid, Y is the gas, and Z is the solid.
c
X is the gas, Y is the solid, and Z is the liquid.
d
X is the gas, Y is the liquid, and Z is the solid.

Answer 1

d
X is the gas, Y is the liquid, and Z is the solid.

This is because sound waves travel the slowest through gases, faster through liquids, and the fastest through solids. The speed of sound through the mediums in the table follows this pattern, with X having the highest speed (indicating a gas), Y having a middle speed (indicating a liquid), and Z having the lowest speed (indicating a solid).