The speed of sound is greatest in
Correct answer: C. steel
- A. air
- B. water
- C. steel
- D. vacuum
Explanation
Sound travels fastest in solids because their particles are closely bound and pass on a disturbance quickly, giving about 5000 m per second in steel against 1500 in water and 340 in air. It cannot travel through a vacuum at all, since it needs a material medium. Light behaves in exactly the opposite way, travelling fastest in a vacuum.
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About Speed of Sound
The speed of sound depends on the properties of the medium, including its elasticity and density, and in gases it varies mainly with temperature. Questions connect speed with frequency and wavelength, compare sound in solids, liquids and gases, and distinguish the speed of propagation from the oscillating particles' motion.
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