Question

Question
A student rings a bell in the air and then rings the same bell underwater in a pool. The student measures how long it takes for a friend to hear the bell in each situation.

Which hypothesis best predicts and justifies which medium will allow the sound to be heard the fastest?

(1 point)
Responses

The friend will hear the bell faster in air because air particles are spread out and allow sound to move quickly.
The friend will hear the bell faster in air because air particles are spread out and allow sound to move quickly.

The friend will hear the bell faster in water because sound travels faster when particles are closer together.
The friend will hear the bell faster in water because sound travels faster when particles are closer together.

The friend will hear the bell at the same speed in air and water because sound speed does not depend on the medium.
The friend will hear the bell at the same speed in air and water because sound speed does not depend on the medium.

The friend will hear the bell faster underwater because sound only travels through liquids, not gases.

Answer 1

The friend will hear the bell faster in water because sound travels faster when particles are closer together.

Reason: Sound speed depends on the medium’s elasticity and how closely packed its particles are. In water molecules are much closer than in air, so vibrations transmit faster (≈1480 m/s in water vs ≈343 m/s in air).