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.

Question

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 gas, Y is the liquid, and Z is the solid.

B.
X is the liquid, Y is the gas, and Z is the solid.

C.
X is the solid, Y is the liquid, and Z is the gas.

D.
X is the gas, Y is the solid, and Z is the liquid.

Answer 1

To determine which medium corresponds to the observed speeds, we need to recall that sound travels fastest in solids, slower in liquids, and slowest in gases. The provided speeds are:

• Medium X: 972 m/s
• Medium Y: 1,483 m/s
• Medium Z: 5,940 m/s

Now let's analyze the speeds:

1. Solid: Sound travels the fastest in solids. Among the observed speeds, Medium Z (5,940 m/s) has the highest speed, which suggests it is the solid.
2. Liquid: The next fastest speed is Medium Y (1,483 m/s), which is typical for a liquid.
3. Gas: The slowest speed is Medium X (972 m/s), indicating that it is the gas.

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

• X is the gas (972 m/s)
• Y is the liquid (1,483 m/s)
• Z is the solid (5,940 m/s)

Thus, the correct answer is:

A. X is the gas, Y is the liquid, and Z is the solid.