Moderate

The density of oxygen is 16 times the density of hydrogen. If the speed of sound in oxygen is v, then what is the speed of sound in hydrogen?

Correct answer: B. 4v

  • A. v/4
  • B. 4v
  • C. v/2
  • D. 2v

Explanation

Since the root-mean-square of velocity tells us about the mean velocity of molecules, we can relate the speed of a molecule with another. Since density is related to mass (and we can assume the same volume of the gases), we can use the under-root of 16 (√16 = "4") as to how much faster hydrogen will be.

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