alleryStart learning →How does making a medium more rigid affect the speed of sound in it?
AThe speed falls towards zero
BThe speed is entirely unchanged
CThe speed becomes unpredictable
DThe speed of sound increases
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: D. The speed of sound increases
1. Rigidity describes how strongly a medium resists being compressed.
2. The more rigid, or less compressible, the medium, the faster sound travels through it.
3. That is why sound moves faster through solids and liquids than through gases.
4. Density works the opposite way, slowing sound down as it rises.
_Source: OpenStax Physics (high school, CC BY 4.0), Ch 14 "Sound", section The Speed of Sound_
Keep practising Sound
Browse all Sound questions for KCSE, or explore more Physics topics.
Related questions
Spot the odd oneCatch what sound needsSound words bingoPitch up or pitch down?Faster or slower sound?Two identical sirens sound, one on a parked car and one on a car speeding towards you. WhaA singer's note makes a piano string sound without touching it. What is happening?Why does the speed of sound in a gas change with temperature?