Q102
General SciencePhysics
The speed of sound is faster in
- a.solids
- b.liquids
- c.gases
- d.vacuum
Answer: (A) solids
Sound is a mechanical wave and travels fastest in solids, slower in liquids and slowest in gases, because particles in solids are closely packed and strongly bound (roughly 340 m/s in air, 1,500 m/s in water, 5,000 m/s in steel). It cannot travel through vacuum at all. In air the speed of sound rises with temperature and humidity but does not depend on pressure.