Q. A long Rail (approximately 700 meters) made up of steel is struck to produce a sound. The person standing on the other end of the rail would hear in which among the following pattern?
Answer: He listens the sound waves twice, first propagated via steel and second propagated via air
Notes: The correct answer is that the person hears the sound waves twice: first via steel and then via air. Sound travels faster in solids than in gases. in steel, it travels at about 5,960 m/s, while in air, it travels at approximately 343 m/s. Given the long distance of 700 meters, the sound will reach the person through the steel rail first, followed by the sound traveling through the air. This phenomenon illustrates the differences in sound propagation speeds in different media.