Question

Question: A boy swimming in a lake smacks the surface of the water with his hand, creating sound waves that travel through the water and air. Which will hear the sound sooner, a fish swimming 5 m below the surface of the water, or a bird flying 5 m above the surface of the water? Justify your answer by discussing how sound travels through a medium.

Answer 1

The speed of sound in air is about 340 m/s, while the speed of sound in water is about 1,500 m/s. In general, sound travels faster in denser media, so the fish hears the noise first.