Question

In which medium the speed of sound is more humid air or dry air?
A) In moist air
B) In normal air
C) In humid air
D) All of the above

Answer 1

Hint:
-Dry air has more density than humid air.
-A molecule of water is less massive than a molecule of nitrogen and a molecule of oxygen.
-About \[78\% \] of the molecules in dry air composed of nitrogen\[\left( {{N_2}} \right)\].
-About\[\;21\% \] of the molecules in dry air is oxygen\[\left( {{O_2}} \right)\].
-And the remaining \[\;1\% \] of dry air is a mixture of other gases.

Complete step by step solution:
The speed of the sound increases in humid air compared to the dry air. Because of the weight of water vapor, the moisture content in the air would be expected to increase the speed of sound.

The weight of water is \[\left( {18u} \right)\] compared to \[\left( {28.95{\text{ }}u} \right)\] for dry air. Specific humidity is the ratio of the total air within an area and the water vapor in the same range.

Absolute humidity describes the current absolute humidity concerning the maximum humidity for the specific temperature.
The density of the medium is inversely proportional to the speed of the sound through it.
Hence, the lesser the density of the medium, the higher the speed of the sound.

Hence the answer correct option is C

Note:
-Air has a particular capacity to hold water retention at any given temperature.
-Moisture is the presence of a liquid containing trace amounts of water in the atmosphere.
-Humidity is the concentration of water vapor in a gaseous state, present in the air.
-Air humidity meter is used to measure the humidity in the air.
-A hygrometer is used to measure the moisture in the air.