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How does sound travel?
Quick answer
Sound travels as a wave of vibrations through a medium like air, water, or solids. A vibrating object pushes nearby particles, which bump the next ones, passing the vibration along until it reaches your ear. Sound is a vibration that moves as a pressure wave through a medium.
Step by step
- Sound is a vibration that moves as a pressure wave through a medium.
- Particles bump their neighbors, passing energy along — they don't travel with the wave.
- It needs a medium, so there's no sound in the vacuum of space.
- It travels faster through denser media (solids > liquids > gases).
People also ask
Can sound travel in space?
No — space is a vacuum with no particles to carry the vibration, so sound can't travel.
Why does sound travel faster in water than air?
Water's particles are closer together, so vibrations pass between them more quickly.
How do we hear sound?
Sound waves vibrate the eardrum; tiny structures convert that into nerve signals the brain interprets.
Part of the guide: Everyday Science: Light, Heat & Matter →