Why does the speed of sound differ through different mediums?
Because water, for example, is much more dense than air, allowing the wave to travel quicker through it. The density of the medium through which sound is travelling will affect the speed of the sound wave. Sound typically travels faster through a solid than a liquid, and slower through a gas. For example, through room-temperature air sound travels at around 343 metres per second. Through water, however, sound travels much faster at about 1,480 metres per second.