Which of the following media has the slowest speed of sound?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → Air
Sound travels as a vibration passed from particle to particle, so it moves faster where the particles are packed closely and held together firmly. That makes sound fastest in solids, slower in liquids and slowest in gases. Approximate speeds:
Option (1) Ice-cold water — a liquid, about 1,400 m/s
Option (2) Air — a gas, about 330 m/s at 0 °C and 343 m/s at 20 °C, the slowest of the four
Option (3) Steel — a solid, about 5,900 m/s
Option (4) Glass — a solid, about 5,000-5,600 m/s