Question

In which medium is the speed of sound maximum- air, water or steel?

Answer 1

When a sound wave travels in a medium, it creates a disturbance in the particles of the medium. Every particle passes this disturbance to the adjacent particle and that's how a sound wave moves through a medium. Speed of the sound is maximum in solids as the molecules in the solid medium are tightly packed together as compared to liquids or gases, allowing sound waves to travel faster. Hence, in the given case, the speed of the sound would be maximum in steel.