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MCQ · Q2

Q.When sound waves travel from air to water, which of these remains constant? (A) Velocity (B) Frequency (C) Wavelength (D) All of above

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By v=nλv=n\lambda, when a sound wave crosses from air into water, BOTH the speed v (much higher in water, per Table 8.1: ~1482 m/s at 20°C versus ~343 m/s in air) and the wavelength λ change together, since v changes but n does not. The frequency n, however, is fixed entirely by whatever is generating the sound (the source) and is a property of how fast the SOURCE itself is vibrating -- it has nothing to do with the medium the wave is currently passing through, so it stays exactly the same on both sides of the air-water boundary. Velocity and wavelength both clearly change (ruling out A, C and 'all of above'), leaving frequency as the one constant quantity. [!ANSWER] (B) Frequency

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