Question

Which of the following statements is wrong?
A. Sound travels in straight line
B. Sound travels as waves
C. Sound is a form of energy
D. Sound travels faster in vacuum than in air

Answer 1

Hint: We are given four statements about sound and are asked to find which of them is a wrong statement. We can find the correct statements out of the given four statements by knowing the basic properties of sound. Thus we will get the correct solution.

Complete step by step answer:
In the question we are given four statements about sound and are asked to find which of them is wrong.
We know that the main characteristics of sound are,
1. Sound is a form of energy
2. Sound travels in the form of wave
3. Sound will travel in a straight line
4. Sound requires a medium to travel.
5. Sound follows the laws of reflection.
From the properties given above we can see that all the first three options given in the question are true, i.e. sound is a form of energy that travels in the form of waves in a straight line.
In the main characteristics of sound, it is said that the sound requires a medium to propagate, i.e. sound can only travel in some kind of medium.
In the given fourth option it is said that sound travels faster in vacuum than in air.
But we know that in vacuum there is no medium for the sound to travel. Whereas air acts as a medium for sound to travel.
Since there is no medium in vacuum, sound will not travel in vacuum and hence the speed of sound in vacuum will not be greater than the speed of sound in air.
Therefore the fourth statement is wrong.

So, the correct answer is “Option D”.

Note: We know that sound will travel in the form of waves. The sound waves are longitudinal waves and they can only travel through mediums like air, water etc.
Air is the most commonly used medium to hear sound. We know that air is a gaseous medium, therefore we can say that sound travels through gaseous medium also.