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Sound waves are mechanical waves, NOT electromagnetic waves.

Mechanical waves need a substance to pass through, that is, they need some sort of surface to vibrate against to send compression waves through to the surrounding air.

Electromagnetic waves however may travel through empty space as they have no need for a surface, instead, they need only electric and magnetic fields that are present in empty space to pass through. (vibrating electric fields will, in turn, vibrate the magnetic field, which will then trigger a nearby electric field to vibrate, which will make another magnetic field to vibrate, and this is how electromagnetic waves may travel through empty space, but mechanical waves may not)

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Why can sound waves not travel through empty spuce?

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Which are not able to travel through empty space?

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