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A sound wave travels from water into air - OCR Gateway - GCSE Physics - Question 10 - 2021 - Paper 4
Question 10
A sound wave travels from water into air. Its wavelength in air is shorter than in water. How do the frequency and speed of the wave in air compare with their values... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A sound wave travels from water into air - OCR Gateway - GCSE Physics - Question 10 - 2021 - Paper 4
Step 1
How do the frequency and speed of the wave in air compare with their values in water?
Answer
To analyze the relationship between wavelength, frequency, and speed of sound in different media, we can use the formula:
where:
- is the speed of sound in the medium,
- is the frequency of the wave,
- is the wavelength.
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Speed of Sound: The speed of sound in air is generally lower than in water. However, since the problem states that the wavelength in air is shorter, we need to deduce the relationship.
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Frequency: Since frequency is inversely proportional to wavelength (for constant speed), if the wavelength is shorter in air, it implies that the frequency must be higher in air relative to water due to the conservation of energy.
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Conclusion: Hence, the frequency in air is higher, and the speed in air remains the same as long as we consider standard conditions, which indicates that the correct comparison would suggest the answer is C: same speed in air, higher frequency in air.