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

Answer: d

Reason: Sound travels slowest in gases, faster in liquids, and fastest in solids. The measured speeds in increasing order are X (972 m/s) < Y (1,483 m/s) < Z (5,940 m/s), so X is the gas, Y the liquid, and Z the solid.