Question

Choose the correct answer sound can travel through,
A. gases only
B. solids only
C. liquids only
D. solids, liquids and gases

Answer 1

Hint: One must always remember that sound requires a medium to propagate, and it travels in the form of vibrations.

Complete step by step answer:
We know that sound is a wave, when a disturbance in the medium occurs the waves are created. The disturbance produces vibration to the molecules of the medium, and they transfer vibrations to neighboring molecules and so on. By this mechanism, sound waves transfer through the medium.
Due to vibrations, high and low regions are created called compressions and rarefactions respectively.
From above information you can think the medium is necessary for the sound wave to travel through.
The correct option is D. solids, liquids and gases.
Additional information:
1. Denser the medium higher the speed of sound waves. Sound waves travel faster in solids compared to liquids, and travel faster in liquid compared to gases.
2. A sound wave can travel through any medium, but not through the vacuum.
3. There are two basic types of sound waves. Differences are made on the basis of which way the wave propagates through the medium.
i) Transverse wave: The molecules of the medium vibrate transverse or perpendicular to the direction of motion of the sound wave. Example of such a wave is a stretched rope when one end through up and down the rope moves up and down and waves move away from the point of end.
ii) Longitudinal wave: The molecules of the medium vibrate longitudinal to the direction of motion of sound waves. Example a long spring some of turns compress and free them to move across the spring different compression and rarefaction can seen by similar mechanism sound travel through the air.

Note: light is also a wave it can travel through vacuum but this doesn’t mean that all waves can travel through vacuum. So don’t confuse it with light waves, sound waves always require a medium and it can travel through any medium.