Asked by wholemelt

Why do waves move faster at higher temperatures and in a solid phase?

There is more energy and the particles are farther apart.
There is less energy and the particles are closer together.
There is less energy and the particles are farther apart.
There is more energy and the particles are closer together.

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
There is more energy and the particles are closer together.

Reason: wave speed depends on how quickly a disturbance is transmitted between neighboring particles. In a solid particles are closer together and strongly bonded (higher stiffness), so disturbances travel faster. Increasing temperature gives particles more kinetic energy (and in gases increases average particle speed), which also speeds up transmission. (Mathematically v ~ sqrt(stiffness/density) for solids/liquids and v ~ sqrt(T) for an ideal gas.)