Question

what does the graph show?
the s and p waves travel the same distance through earths crust in the same amount of time
the p wave travels through earths crust more quickly than the s wave travels.
it takes the p wave 18 minutes to travel 6,000 km through earths crust
it takes the s wave 11 minutes to travel 8,000 km through earths crust.

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the first option

If \(S\) and \(P\) waves traveled the same distance in the same time, their lines on the graph (distance - time) would overlap. But they don't.

Step2: Analyze the second option

For a distance - time graph, the slope \(m=\frac{\text{distance}}{\text{time}}\) represents speed. A steeper slope means higher speed. The \(P -\)wave line has a steeper slope than the \(S -\)wave line. So, \(P -\)waves have a higher speed.

Step3: Analyze the third option

Looking at the \(P -\)wave line, when distance \(d = 6000\) km, the time \(t\) is not \(18\) minutes (it is less than \(18\) minutes).

Step4: Analyze the fourth option

Looking at the \(S -\)wave line, when distance \(d=8000\) km, the time \(t\) is not \(11\) minutes (it is more than \(11\) minutes).

Answer:

The P wave travels through Earth's crust more quickly than the S wave travels.