A student performs an experiment by ringing a bell in the air, and ringing a bell in a pool he measures the time it takes for a friend to hear the bell, make, and justify a hypothesis on which medium the friend would hear the bell the fastest
Hypothesis: The friend would hear the bell fastest in the air compared to hearing it in the pool.
Justification:
1. Sound travels faster in air than in water. In general, the speed of sound in air is approximately 343 meters per second, while in water, it is about 1484 meters per second. This indicates that sound waves would propagate quicker through the air medium.
2. When the bell is ringing in the air, there are no additional barriers or obstructions for the sound waves to travel through. In contrast, when the bell is ringing in the pool, the sound waves have to travel through water, which can impede the transmission of sound.
3. Water is denser than air, meaning it has a higher molecular mass per unit volume. The increased density of water results in more resistance and slows down the propagation of sound waves through it.
4. Air is a compressible medium, whereas water is incompressible. In the air, sound waves can travel by means of compressions and rarefactions of air particles, which allows for faster transmission. In water, the lack of compressibility restricts the speed at which sound waves can propagate.
Considering these reasons, it is reasonable to hypothesize that the friend in the experiment would hear the bell ringing fastest in the air and experience a delayed hearing response when the bell is rung in the pool.