A student does an experiment to find out how the speed of sound waves changes when traveling in different mediums (solid, liquid, gas). The table below shows the different speeds of the sound wave in each medium but does not list the specific medium.

Question

medium speed before (m/s)
a 682
b 1,293
c 4,440

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

(1 point)
Responses

A is the solid, B is the liquid, and C is the gas.
A is the solid, B is the liquid, and C is the gas.

A is the gas, B is the solid, and C is the liquid.
A is the gas, B is the solid, and C is the liquid.

A is the gas, B is the liquid, and C is the solid.
A is the gas, B is the liquid, and C is the solid.

A is the liquid, B is the gas, and C is the solid.

Answer 1

To determine which medium corresponds to the given speeds, we need to consider the general characteristics of sound propagation in different states of matter:

1. Sound travels fastest in solids, slower in liquids, and slowest in gases.
2. The known speed of sound in air (gas) is approximately 343 m/s.

From the data provided:

• A (682 m/s): This speed is higher than that of sound in air, so it could potentially be a solid or liquid.
• B (1,293 m/s): This speed is significantly higher than that in air and likely corresponds to a solid.
• C (4,440 m/s): This speed is much higher than typical sound speeds for solids, indicating that it is likely incorrect as a comparison with standard speeds. Typically, sound speeds in metals (solids) like steel can reach around this range.

Given this analysis, we can identify the mediums as follows:

• A (682 m/s): This medium is not typical of any gas, so it is likely a liquid (as liquids generally have speeds lower than solids but higher than gases).
• B (1,293 m/s): This medium is likely a solid.
• C (4,440 m/s): This could be the gas, but since it is too high, we will use the context clue that "room temperature air" is 343 m/s.

Using this information, we can conclude:

• A is the liquid,
• B is the solid, and
• C is the gas.

Thus, the correct response is: A is the liquid, B is the gas, and C is the solid.