0
Sound need particles to move does this mean it can travel in a vacuum?
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
No, they cannot.
Sound waves are compression waves (mechanical longitudinal waves). This means they travel through mediums with the particles of the medium vibrating in the same or opposite direction of the wave, as opposed to perpendicular. Therefore, a sound wave needs particles to vibrate/oscillate for it to travel. If there are no particles, it cannot travel. A vacuum is defined by the absence of matter, meaning there are no particles. Thus, sound cannot travel in a vacuum.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Add your answer:
Earn +20 pts
Why sound needs median to travel?
I think you mean medium not median.Sound travels through vibrations. You need the particles in a solid, liquid or gas to be present to pass on those vibrations. One particle vibrating against another makes it vibrate. If you are in a vacuum (with no particles) sound will not travel.
Why are light waves are able to travel through vacuum?
Light "waves" are able to travel through a vacuum because light is only halfway "wavy". Light is actually a collection of particles, known as photons. Photons, because they are particles, are able to travel through a vacuum; unlike waves, they don't need a medium to travel from place to place. If you're interested in what I mean by "halfway wavy" look up the quantum particle-wave duality nature of light on Wikipedia.
Can rf can travel in vacuum?
If you mean radio-frequency, yes, all electromagnetic waves can travel in a vacuum.
What does the word vacuum mean in science?
It's a space where there is no matter. A perfect vacuum will have no gas particles at all.
Sound needs a medium to travel?
Yes. Sound requires a medium to travel in.It is comprised of pressure waves (a mechanical phenomenon). Sound requires something to compress and rarefy (a medium). Sound pressure, or acoustic pressure, is the local pressure deviation from the ambient (average, or equilibrium) atmospheric pressure.Sound pressure can be measured using a microphone in air and a hydrophone in water. The SI unit for sound pressure is the pascal (symbol: Pa). The effective sound pressure is the root mean square of the instantaneous sound pressure over a given interval of time (or space). Sound can't travel in a vacuum because it lacks the necessary medium.
Why sound needs median to travel?
I think you mean medium not median.Sound travels through vibrations. You need the particles in a solid, liquid or gas to be present to pass on those vibrations. One particle vibrating against another makes it vibrate. If you are in a vacuum (with no particles) sound will not travel.
What is the fasted speed sound can travel through?
Your question needs to be defined more clearly, do you mean through which medium does sound travel the fastest? If so, in general the more dense the medium is the faster the sound wave travels; sound travels through Air (a gas) slower than through water (a liquid) because the sound is transmitted by the molecules colliding therefore the more dense the medium the easier the force is transmitted in a direction. It is also for this reason why sound can not travel through a vacuum (there are no particles in a vacuum to transmit the sound wave)
If there is no air in space does that mean that it's silent?
Yes, sound waves can not travel through the vacuum of space.
What do they mean by space is a vacuum?
They mean that there are no air particles in space.
Why are light waves are able to travel through vacuum?
Light "waves" are able to travel through a vacuum because light is only halfway "wavy". Light is actually a collection of particles, known as photons. Photons, because they are particles, are able to travel through a vacuum; unlike waves, they don't need a medium to travel from place to place. If you're interested in what I mean by "halfway wavy" look up the quantum particle-wave duality nature of light on Wikipedia.
Can rf can travel in vacuum?
If you mean radio-frequency, yes, all electromagnetic waves can travel in a vacuum.
Why does the sun have a quiet period?
If you mean quiet as in the sense of sound, then it's always quiet do to the fact that it's in space which means that it is in a vacuum that sound waves can't travel through.
What does the word vacuum mean in science?
It's a space where there is no matter. A perfect vacuum will have no gas particles at all.
Sound needs a medium to travel?
Yes. Sound requires a medium to travel in.It is comprised of pressure waves (a mechanical phenomenon). Sound requires something to compress and rarefy (a medium). Sound pressure, or acoustic pressure, is the local pressure deviation from the ambient (average, or equilibrium) atmospheric pressure.Sound pressure can be measured using a microphone in air and a hydrophone in water. The SI unit for sound pressure is the pascal (symbol: Pa). The effective sound pressure is the root mean square of the instantaneous sound pressure over a given interval of time (or space). Sound can't travel in a vacuum because it lacks the necessary medium.
Which property of a sound wave is changing when the air is removed?
Well, the six properties that describe any wave, including sound waves, are its phase, amplitude, frequency, wavelength, speed, and direction of propagation. I'm not sure if by "air is removed" you mean the wave is now in a vacuum or if you mean it has transferred to another medium. If you mean that it's now in a vacuum, all properties of a sound wave have changed, specifically they've changed to 0 since sound can't travel in a vacuum. If you mean that it's now in another medium, the sound wave's speed and direction have changed.
How does Sound travel through something hollow?
Hollow does not mean empty. Hollow means there is a container. Sound will travel in whatever carries it. (all materials consisting of more than two strongbonded captive atoms are not a vacuum, and will carry sound.) The container, filled with hollowness (you might get near vacuum. grin.), will carry sound from one end to the other because the container has more than two bonded atoms.. Does a hollow have sides? Yes. An inside and an outside. I actually wonder, is there a vacuum inside a single atom? Jaak.
What is sound in air?
Sound in oxygen is slow moving, but sound in space is not possible(by space, I mean a vacuum)
