Density and speed are _____ related.

Density and speed are _____ related.

• A. Directly
• B. Inversely
• C. Not related
• D. Random

Answer: (B)

Density and the speed of how a wave travels through a medium are inversely related. The speed of a wave depends on how stiff or elastic the material is relative to its mass per volume. When density goes up while the material’s stiffness stays about the same, the medium has more inertia and resists motion more, so the wave takes longer to propagate. That’s why speed decreases as density increases. If you thought density would make speed go up, you’d expect a direct relationship, which isn’t how wave propagation works. Saying they’re not related or that the relationship is random contradicts the well-established link between density and how fast a wave can move through a medium.

Density and the speed of how a wave travels through a medium are inversely related. The speed of a wave depends on how stiff or elastic the material is relative to its mass per volume. When density goes up while the material’s stiffness stays about the same, the medium has more inertia and resists motion more, so the wave takes longer to propagate. That’s why speed decreases as density increases.

If you thought density would make speed go up, you’d expect a direct relationship, which isn’t how wave propagation works. Saying they’re not related or that the relationship is random contradicts the well-established link between density and how fast a wave can move through a medium.