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Chapter 5: Problem 21

Velocity of sound is minimum in (1) wood (2) vaccum (3) water (4) air

Short Answer

Expert verified
Answer: The velocity of sound is minimum in vacuum.

Step by step solution

01

Learn about Sound Propagation

Sound waves are mechanical waves that need a medium to travel. In a medium, sound waves propagate through the series of compression and rarefaction. The velocity of sound depends on the properties of the medium such as density, elasticity, and pressure.
02

Understand the effect of medium on sound velocity

Generally, the velocity of sound is faster in solids than in liquids, and faster in liquids than in gases. This is because particles in solids are closely packed, allowing the sound waves to transfer faster. Liquids have relatively less dense particles, leading to a lower velocity of sound, and gases have the least dense particles, resulting in an even lower velocity of sound.
03

Recall the speed of sound in a vacuum

A vacuum lacks any particles. Therefore, there is no medium for sound waves to travel, and as a result, the velocity of sound in a vacuum is zero.
04

Compare the speed of sound in different media

According to the details mentioned in the previous steps, the speed of sound is fastest in solids (like wood), slower in liquids (like water), and slowest in gases (like air). The velocity of sound is zero in a vacuum as there is no medium for sound waves to travel.
05

Identify the medium with minimum velocity of sound

Among the given options, sound cannot travel in a vacuum due to the absence of particles. Hence, vacuum has the minimum velocity of sound.
06

Answer

The velocity of sound is minimum in (2) vacuum.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

The frequency of sound waves which can be heard by humans is (1) less than \(20 \mathrm{~Hz}\) (2) greater than \(20 \mathrm{kHz}\) (3) between \(20 \mathrm{~Hz}\) to \(20 \mathrm{kHz}\) (4) None of these

A body completes 50 oscillations in \(20 \mathrm{~s}\). What is the frequency?

Arrange the following steps of an experiment in a sequential order to determine the speed of sound in air. (a) Let two persons \(\mathrm{P}_{1}\) and \(\mathrm{P}_{2}\) are separated by a distance of \(1 \mathrm{~km}\) in an open place. (b) The person \(\mathrm{P}_{1}\) will fire the cracker and person \(\mathrm{P}_{2}\) will start the stop watch as soon as he sees the light. (c) Note the time taken by the sound to travel from \(\mathrm{P}_{1}\) to \(\mathrm{P}_{2}\).

Why the oscillations of a simple pendulum are not perceived by the human ear?

\text { What.are the differences between music and noise? }
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