A student performs an experiment where he sends sound waves from the air through a solid, a liquid, and a gas. He records the speed of the wave traveling through each medium but forgets to label each medium. The table shows his observations.
Medium Speed Before (m/s)
X 972
Y 1,483
Z 5,940
The student knows that sound travels through room temperature air at 343 m/s. Based on the student's results, which medium is the solid, the liquid, and the gas?
A. X is the gas, Y is the liquid, and Z is the solid.
B. X is the liquid, Y is the gas, and Z is the solid.
C. X is the solid, Y is the liquid, and Z is the gas.
D. X is the gas, Y is the solid, and Z is the liquid.
C. X is the solid, Y is the liquid, and Z is the gas.
This is because sound travels fastest through solids, then liquids, and slowest through gases. In this case, the highest speed (5,940 m/s) corresponds to the solid, the middle speed (1,483 m/s) corresponds to the liquid, and the lowest speed (972 m/s) corresponds to the gas.