An observer at a construction site watches a worker strike a steel pipe with a hammer and hears the sound transmitted through the pipe before hearing it through the open air. Which of the following best explains why sound travels faster through solid steel than through air?
- AThe frequency of the sound wave increases significantly when traveling through denser matter.
- The closely packed particles and high elasticity of solids allow vibrational energy to transfer more rapidly between molecules.Answer
- CSound waves convert into electromagnetic transverse waves when moving through solid materials.
- DThe amplitude of the wave increases automatically because solid matter absorbs less acoustic energy.
Answer
Sound travels faster through solid steel than through air because the closely packed particles and high elasticity of solids allow mechanical vibrational energy to transfer more rapidly between molecules.
Sound is a mechanical wave that propagates through the physical displacement and elastic restoration of medium particles. In solids like steel, atoms are tightly bonded in a crystal lattice with high elastic modulus, enabling compressions and rarefactions to transfer rapidly from particle to particle. In contrast, gas molecules in air are widely spaced and require longer travel times between collisions, resulting in a much lower propagation speed.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
Mechanical sound wave propagation speed depends on the elasticity and atomic density of the transmitting medium, traveling fastest in solids, slower in liquids, and slowest in gases.
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