The speed of sound in ice, water, and steam is shown. A 3 column by 4 row table. Column 1 is titled Medium and includes the following entries: Ice, Water, Steam. Column 2 is titled Temperature (degrees Celsius) and includes the following entries: 0, 25, 100. Column 3 is titled Speed of Sound (meters per second) and includes the following entries: 3200 meters per second, 1500 meters per second, 346 meters per second. What best explains the speed of sound in different states of matter? Sound travels fastest in ice because energy is easier to transfer when the molecules are close together. Sound travels slowest in steam because the sound has to move around the gas molecules that are far apart. Sound travels fastest in ice because the temperature of solids is always greater, so the heat transfers the sound energy. Sound travels slowest in steam because the pressure is so great the sound cannot travel though the steam particles.