The speed of sound in ice, water, and steam is shown.
What best explains the speed of sound in different states
of matter?
Medium
Ice
Water
Steam
Temperature
(°C)
0
25
100
Speed of
Sound (m/s)
3200 m/s
1500 m/s
346 m/s
T
Sound travels fastest in ice because energy is easier to
transfer when the molecules are close together.
Sound travels slowest in steam because the sound has
to move around the gas molecules that are far apart.
Sound travels fastest in ice because the temperature of
solids is always greater, so the heat transfers the sound
energy
Sound travels slowest in steam because the pressure is
so great the sound cannot travel though the steam
particles
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