0
Does sound waves travel faster through molecules or water and why?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
They travel faster in water. Water molecules are closer together (more dense) than are air molecules and sound is a compressive phenomenon, meaning that a sound wave is carried through a medium by the molecules of that medium transferring the sound energy one to another. If the molecules are closer together, this energy transfer happens more quickly. Human ears aren't really designed to notice this difference, mostly because we're in air all the time, but dolphins and whales take great advantage of it.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoYes, sound travels faster in liquids than gases and fastest in solids. This is because sound is a longitudinal wave (which is a type of mechanical wave) and requires a vibrating medium for conduction. The denser the medium, the faster the molecules can transmit the sound.
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Does sound travel through solids or gases faster?
Sound travels faster through solids because, molecules in solids are much closer together so this allows sound waves to travel faster.
Why does sound travel slower through liquids?
It doesn't, sound travels slowest in air then faster in liquids then solids. Sound traveling through steel in many times faster then through air, for example. Sound travels through vibrations, and the vibrations pass through molecules until they reach your ear. If the molecules are far away it takes longer to pass the vibrations, but if they are closer together they will travel faster. Because the molecules are packed closer together in a liquid the sound travels faster through it, and even faster through solids.
Why does sound travel faster in warm?
Because the molecules are less dense and they vibrate faster letting sound travel faster
Do sound waves travel faster through wood or water?
Yes i guess sound waves travel faster through wood than in water. Because molecules are tightly packed in wood(solid) than in water(liquid).
Does waves travel through solids or liquids faster?
Sound waves travel faster through denser media, like solids, because the molecules are closer together, making it easier to pass the sound from molecule to molecule. Light and other electromagnetic waves travel faster through less dense media, and they travel fastest through a vacuum.
Does sound travel through solids or gases faster?
Sound travels faster through solids because, molecules in solids are much closer together so this allows sound waves to travel faster.
Why does sound travel slower through liquids?
It doesn't, sound travels slowest in air then faster in liquids then solids. Sound traveling through steel in many times faster then through air, for example. Sound travels through vibrations, and the vibrations pass through molecules until they reach your ear. If the molecules are far away it takes longer to pass the vibrations, but if they are closer together they will travel faster. Because the molecules are packed closer together in a liquid the sound travels faster through it, and even faster through solids.
Why does sound travel faster in warm?
Because the molecules are less dense and they vibrate faster letting sound travel faster
Why does sound travel faster through materials such as water and metal than it does through air?
They are denser. Molecules are closer together. Vibrations move faster.
Do sound waves travel faster through wood or water?
Yes i guess sound waves travel faster through wood than in water. Because molecules are tightly packed in wood(solid) than in water(liquid).
Does waves travel through solids or liquids faster?
Sound waves travel faster through denser media, like solids, because the molecules are closer together, making it easier to pass the sound from molecule to molecule. Light and other electromagnetic waves travel faster through less dense media, and they travel fastest through a vacuum.
Why do sound waves travel fast in the state of matter of solid?
All the molecules are packed in tight and in an orderly fashion so the sound can travel faster through it. Gases have molecules away from each other so the sound cannot be passed through the vibrating and bouncing molecules so well.
Does sound travel faster through molecules that are far apart?
No. Sound waves travel fastest through mediums that have tighter or more densely packed molecules. Longitudinal waves need a conductor (i.e. molecule) to transmit sound. The closer the molecules are, the faster a sound wave is able to pass from one to another. Therefore, sound travels fastest through solid mediums (densely packed molecules), then liquids (less densely packed), then gases (least densely packed).
Does sound travel faster in warmer temperatures?
the air molecules are moving faster
Why does sound travel better through solid not gas?
Sound is the effect of disturbances of molecules. Imagine a chain reaction similar to Newton's balls - one molecule hits the next, which hits the next, etc. Sound is the same way - molecules vibrate, causing molecules near them to vibrate. Thus, the closer the molecules are to one another, the faster they will transfer the sound energy, and the faster the sound will travel. The general rule is: more dense = faster sound.
Does sound travel best through solids liquids or gases?
The speed of sound depends on the medium through which it is traveling. Sound travels fastest through solids, then liquids, and slowest through gases. As the molecules in a solid medium are closely packed together, sound waves can travel more quickly through it. Sound waves travel over 17 times faster through steel than through air. The molecules in a liquid medium are also more close together than a gaseous medium, so sound travels 4 times faster in fresh water as compared to air. In a gas, sound can travel only when molecules collide with each other, and as the molecules are quite far apart, the speed is slowest in gases.
Does sound travel travel faster through solid or gas?
Sound travels faster through solids. It does this because sound is generated mainly due to the mediums molecule vibration in a pattern. In solids, the molecules are more closely packed when compared to gases. Hence, the vibration occurs faster and hence the sound is tramsmitted sooner
