In: Physics
The speed of sound in water is _____ than the speed of sound in air because _____.
(a) Faster; water is much harder to compress
(b) Faster; water is much more dense
(c) Slower; water is much easier to compress
(d) Slower; water is much less dense
(e) Equal; the two fluids are at the same pressure
The speed of the sound is calculated from the Newton-Laplace equation. That is,
c = √K/ρ
Here, K is the bulk modulus and ρ is the density
As the speed of sound depends upon both the factors K and ρ. If a medium is not compressible at all that is incompressible means the speed of sound is infinite.
Therefore the speed of sound in water is faster than the speed of sound in air because water is much harder to compress.
Therefore, the correct option is (a).
The correct option is (a).