Question

answer these questions: does sound need a medium to pass through? why or why not? through which state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) does sound travel fastest? why? does light need a medium to pass through? why or why not? through which state of matter (solid, liquid, or gas) does light travel fastest? why? when sound speeds up, does it become higher or lower pitch? explain. why does light get refracted? why do we see green leaves as green? why does a straw in water appear broken?

Explanation:

1. Sound needs a medium to pass through because it is a mechanical wave. Its propagation relies on the vibration and interaction of particles in a medium. In a vacuum, there are no particles to vibrate, so sound cannot travel.
2. Sound travels fastest through solids. This is because the particles in solids are closely packed together. The closer - packed particles allow sound waves to transfer energy more quickly as they vibrate against each other.
3. Light does not need a medium to pass through. Light is an electromagnetic wave and can travel through a vacuum. This is demonstrated by light from the sun reaching the Earth through the vacuum of space.
4. Light travels fastest through a vacuum. In a vacuum, there are no particles to interact with, so there is no resistance to slow it down. Among the states of matter (solid, liquid, gas), light travels fastest through gases compared to liquids and solids because gases have a lower density and less interaction with the light - wave.
5. When sound speeds up, its pitch does not change. The pitch of a sound is determined by its frequency, not its speed. For example, in different media where sound speed varies, the same source will have the same frequency (pitch) as long as the source's vibration frequency remains constant.
6. Light gets refracted when it passes from one medium to another because its speed changes. The change in speed causes the light ray to change direction. This is described by Snell's law.
7. We see green leaves as green because chlorophyll in the leaves absorbs most of the red and blue light from sunlight and reflects green light. Our eyes detect this reflected green light.
8. A straw in water appears broken because of refraction. When light travels from water (a medium with a higher refractive index) to air (a medium with a lower refractive index), the light rays bend away from the normal. This bending of light makes the straw appear broken at the water - air interface.

Answer:

1. Yes, sound needs a medium to pass through because it is a mechanical wave and requires particle - to - particle interaction for propagation.
2. Sound travels fastest through solids because particles are closely packed, allowing for quick energy transfer.
3. No, light does not need a medium to pass through as it is an electromagnetic wave and can travel through a vacuum.
4. Light travels fastest through a vacuum. Among matter states, it travels fastest through gases as they have lower density.
5. The pitch of sound does not change when its speed changes. Pitch is determined by frequency.
6. Light gets refracted when passing from one medium to another due to a change in speed.
7. We see green leaves as green because chlorophyll reflects green light while absorbing red and blue light.
8. A straw in water appears broken due to the refraction of light as it travels from water to air.