Question

A student is performing an experiment comparing sound and light waves. The student gathers the following data.

A 3 column table with 3 rows labeled Speed of Sound. The first column is labeled medium with entries ice, water, steam. The second column is labeled temperature in degrees Celcius with entries 0, 25, 100. The last column is labeled speed of sound in meters per second with entries 3200, 1500, 346. A second 3 column table with 3 rows labeled speed of light. The first column is labeled medium with entries air, water, glass. The second column is labeled index of refraction with entries 1.00, 1.33, 1.57. The last column is labeled speed of light in meters per second with entries 2.99 times 10 Superscript 8 Baseline, 2.26 times 10 Superscript 8 Baseline, 1.91 times 10 Superscript 8 Baseline.

What conclusion does the student most likely make based on this data?

Light waves always travel the same speed; however, the speed of sound is determined by the medium that it travels through.
All sound waves always have the same energy, so the temperature of the medium does not affect wave speed.
Light needs to vibrate particles, so it travels fastest in tightly packed solids, while sound does not need a medium, so it travels fastest in a gas.
Tightly packed particles in solids slow down the light waves; however, sound waves make particles bounce into each other, so they travel faster in solids.

Answer 1

"Tightly packed particles in solids slow down the light waves; however, sound waves make particles bounce into each other, so they travel faster in solids."

Explanation: The data show sound speeds increase from steam (346 m/s) to water (1500 m/s) to ice (3200 m/s), so sound travels fastest in solids. Light speeds decrease from air (~3.00×10^8 m/s) to water (2.26×10^8 m/s) to glass (1.91×10^8 m/s), so light is slowed by denser (more tightly packed) media.