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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

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14y ago
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12y ago

Sound does move through space. It can'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 vibration of molecules (or atoms, etc.) 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. There is no atmosphere in outerspace. Therefore, no air (or other medium), no sound.

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13y ago

Sound, unlike light, needs a medium through which to travel. Sound relies on vibrating molecules or particles. Sound can travel through air at about 3 km/s as it vibrates particles and then the neighbouring particles etc. but it can travel much faster through steel because the particles are much more tightly packed.

In outer space there are not enough particles to vibrate, no neighbouring particles for the very few particles that are there. No particles means that there is no sound.

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15y ago

Sound is the back & forth (vibrationary) motion of molecules in a material or gas or liquid. The molecules push & pull on the molecules next to them and this push & pull motion travels thru the material. Space has practically no molecules and the sound can't get started or travel.

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12y ago

Sound is a mechanical wave. A mechanical wave badly needs a material medium such as air to get propagated. So as space is not a material medium sound cannot pass through it.

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13y ago

There is no matter in space. Sound needs matter to travel.

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14y ago

Sound is transmitted by vibration of moving air .. no air = no sound

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14y ago

Sound waves have to travel through something. Space is a vacuum without any air for the waves to travel through. Sound cannot travel in a vacuum.

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Anonymous

Lvl 1
3y ago

it doesn't travle through space because it can't

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Q: Why cant sound travel through outer space?
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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.


What types of materials can sound not travel through?

Spongy materials are the most difficult for sound to travel through. Vacuum is the best acoustic insulation but it doesn't really count for the purpose of this question, since it is not a material but a lack of material.


Why can light travel through space but sound cannot?

sound is produced by vibration, i.e. when any thing start vibration then it produces sound. for example when a tunnig fork is hit on rubber pad its prongs starts vibration with difinit frequency ad hence produce sound. similarly when the strings of a gittar is dirturbed its starts vibration and hence produces sound. sound required a material medium for their journey, sound can not pass through vaccume because sound waves are mechanical waves.


What do electromagnetic waves need to travel?

Electromagnetic waves don't need anything to travel. This kind of waves does not need a medium to move through, therefore they can even travel through outer space.


What factors are necessary for a sound wave to travel through a medium?

well sound actually always needs a medium so it can travel, in space there's is no sound because there isn't a medium it can travel through. but just about anything is a medium for sound. air is also a great medium, that's why were able to hear one another

Related questions

Why is it impossible for sound to travel through outer space?

In outer space there is no air medium for travelling of sound waves.so it is impossible for sound to travel through outer space ..!!


How far will sound travel through space in 1 second?

If you're referring to outer space, then sound does not travel at all.


Where does sound not travel?

outer space because you need some kind of physical material for sound to travel through and there's none of that in space


What can't sound travel through and why?

Sound cannot travel through a vacuum, such as in outer space. "Sound" refers to waves of compression which travel through matter. When there is no matter, there can be no such waves, and therefore no sound.


What to waves travel through?

Sound waves travel through matter. The only thing it doesn't travel through is vacuums or outer space.


Does light need a medium through which to travel?

No, it does not. It can travel through any open space. Sound, unlike light, needs a medium to travel. So light can travel through outer space but sound cannot because there is no medium.


Why can't we communicate in outer space?

We can if we use radio. Without it, sound waves can't travel through space because there is no air for it to travel through.


Can you hear anything in outer space?

No. Sound requires a medium through which it can travel. Since space is near a vacuum, there is no medium for sound.


Why do sounds NOT travel through outer space?

Sound is a vibration when something makes a noise every thing around vibrates in order to make the sound for it to travel it needs particles to vibrate there is almost no matter in outer space hence no particles


Why can light travel through space from the sun to the earth but sound cannot travel through space?

light travels in straight lines thus is not affected by outer space being a vacuum. Sound on the other hand requires atoms to "bounce" off and vibrate through.


How fast does sound take to get from the sun?

Sound must have matter to travel through - we are used to hearing sound that travels through air. But there is no air in outer space. We have heard sound that travels through water, but, there is no water in outer space either. In fact, outer space consists of a vacuum . . . not a floor cleaner, but a condition in which there is no matter - no air, no water, no nothing. So their is no sound transmission from the Sun. Have you heard any?


Does sound travel outside the earths atmosphere in space?

No. Sound is simply vibrations of particles that travel in a sort of "wave" motion. Since there is no medium (particles of matter) in space, it is not possible for there to be sound.Sound waves require a medium to travel through. They travel by knocking particles into other particles, causing a vibration to be transmitted.As outer-space is a vacuum, there is no matter present; this means that there is no medium for sound waves to travel through. Therefore, sound cannot travel in space.