What change will decrease the speed of a sound wave traveling through a gaseous matter?

•Replacing the gaseous matter with Liquid

•Replacing the gaseous matter with a solid

•Decreasing the temperature of the matter

•Increasing the temperature of the matter

Right answer: Decreasing the temperature of the matter

In general, sound (mechanical waves) travels faster in solids than in liquids or gases. This is because the speed of the mechanical waves is determined by a relationship between the elastic properties of the medium in which they are propagated and the mass per unit volume of the medium (that is:density).

In other words: The speed of sound varies depending on the medium through which the sound waves travel.

In addition, it varies with changes in the temperature of the medium. This is because an increase in temperature means that the frequency of interactions between the particles that transport the vibration increases, hence this increase in activity increases the speed. That is why the speed of sound in a gas is not constant, but depends on the temperature.

So, if we want the speed of sound in a gas to decrease, the temperature of that gas must decrease, as well.

Answer;

Decreasing the temperature of the matter

Explanation; The speed of sound depends on the density and temperature and the type of the medium that the sound in traveling through. Among the three states of matter sound waves travel the slowest through gases, faster through liquids, and fastest through solids. Sound moves slowest through a gas because the molecules in a gas are spaced very far apart. Sound travels fastest through solids because molecules in a solid are packed against each other that is they are closely. Therefore, when a vibration begins, the molecules of a solid immediately collide and the compression wave travels rapidly. At high temperature sound in a medium travels faster as particles vibrate more and have higher number of collisions. At low temperature, however, the speed decreases as particles vibrate slowly and collide less often. Therefore, decreasing the temperature of a medium will decrease the speed of sound as particles vibration and collision will decrease.