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Study the graph about seismic waves.

Graph of P & S Wave Travel Times, showing Travel time in minutes across distance in kilometers for P and S waves. S wave starts at zero kilometers, zero minutes, and increases to 10,000 kilometers, 25 minutes. P wave starts at zero kilometers, zero minutes and increases to 10,000 kilometers, 13 minutes.

What does the graph show?

The S and P waves travel the same distance through Earth’s crust in the same amount of time.
The P wave travels through Earth’s crust more quickly than the S wave travels.
It takes the P wave 18 minutes to travel 6,000 km through Earth’s crust.
It takes the S wave 11 minutes to travel 8,000 km through Earth’s crust.

1 answer

The graph you described indicates the travel times for P waves and S waves through the Earth's crust. Here's a breakdown of the options based on the information provided:

  1. The S and P waves travel the same distance through Earth’s crust in the same amount of time.
    This is incorrect. The graph shows that P waves (primary waves) travel faster than S waves (secondary waves).

  2. The P wave travels through Earth’s crust more quickly than the S wave travels.
    This statement is correct. The P wave reaches 10,000 kilometers in 13 minutes while the S wave takes 25 minutes to cover the same distance, indicating that P waves travel faster.

  3. It takes the P wave 18 minutes to travel 6,000 km through Earth’s crust.
    This statement is incorrect based on the provided information. According to the graph, the P wave's travel time for 6,000 km should be less than 13 minutes, as it takes only 13 minutes to travel 10,000 km.

  4. It takes the S wave 11 minutes to travel 8,000 km through Earth’s crust.
    This statement is also incorrect. According to the graph, the S wave takes longer than P waves to travel, and the specific travel times for 8,000 km would require further calculations based on the slope of the graph. It appears to take closer to 20 minutes for that distance (based on the linear growth).

In conclusion, the correct interpretation from the provided options is "The P wave travels through Earth’s crust more quickly than the S wave travels."