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Q: Why do some waves travel in a vaccuum while others can travel only through a medium?
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Why cant sound waves travel through a vaccuum?

No medium to carry the sound energy.


Why does sound not travel through space?

Sound does move through space. It doesn't move though empty space, i.e. a vaccuum. In outer space there is a vaccuum (though not necessarily a perfect vaccuum).Sound is caused by vibrations in a medium such as air (or water or wood). These vibrations compress and rarefy the medium. The vibrations move through the medium as waves.In a vaccuum, there is no medium thus there is no sound.


Sound cannot travel through what?

As sound is a mechanical wave (unlike light, an electromagnetic wave), it requires a medium in which to travel, therefore, it cannot travel through a vacuum.


Which waves cannot travel through a vaccuum?

Sound waves.


Can a light travel through a vacuum?

Yes. Refer to stars - space is a vaccuum (though not a perfect vaccuum) and because light can travel through a vaccuum, we have day and night here on Earth. We can even see light from other stars light years away.


Does light have a medium to travel through?

No, apart from "spacetime". But it CAN travel through a medium such as air or glass.


Why can't sound travel through a medium?

It Can it needs a medium to travel


Why cant sound travel through outer space?

Sounds requires a medium to travel through. An example is air. You've also heard sound travel through water and solid objects like wood. In the past it was often thought that no medium exists in space. However, in current astronomy and astrophysics it is thought that dark matter is the medium by which sound can and does travel about space. Due to the atoms being so spread out though, the human ear would not be capable of detecting the sound waves. For more information check out: http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/mystery_monday_030922.html


Do radio waves need a medium to travel through?

Radiation doesnt need a medium because it travels through space


Why does a sound wave travel through a medium?

waves are easily travel in medium.....


What is the difference between mechanical and electromagnetic waves with regard to travel?

Mechanical waves need some kind of material to transmit through. They involve the shaking and passing of energy through matter. Electromagnetic waves don't need a medium to travel through. Outer space is considered a vaccuum, there is no matter to shake back and forth to create a wave. This is why electromagnetic waves can travel through solids, liquids, and why they travel faster.


What needs a medium substance to travel through?

Mechanical waves need a medium substance to travel through. Electromagnetic do not.