Are sound waves waves of vibrating molecules?

Answer 1

When the sound is carried by air, yes. Sound is carried in pressure waves, which are represented by differences in density of the medium. This fluctuation in density causes particles to move around.

This will happen regardless of the medium, be it air, water, a solid, or whatever. The denser the material is, the less efficient the transfer will be, hence sound underwater seems somewhat muted.

Since there is no medium in a vacuum, sound is not carried. There are rumors that sound will be carried though a variety of other methods, but that is not the case, as it is reliant on a medium to carry it. One may only hear things from objects to which one is attached through some medium.

Answer 2

No, if the term "vibrating molecules" means vibrations within the individual molecules. It is not vibration of the individual molecules, but the "vibration" of regions of molecules that is the phenomena we call sound.

Sound can travel in gas, liquid and solids, but this answer will address only sound in air since the other situations are similar.

In air, vibrations of physical objects, like the human vocal cords or a drum, cause air next to the object to become compressed and rarefied as the object vibrates. When a region of air is compressed, it pushes outward and air movement occurs to nearby regions. When a region of air is rarefied, movement develops from the nearby regions towards the less dense regions. When an object vibrates, the compression and rarefaction process repeats with regularity and the regions of air movement develop regularity and those region propagate away from the vibration source.

That propagation of compressed and rarefied regions of air is sound.

Answer 3

Yes, sound waves are waves of vibrating molecules. When an object vibrates, it creates a disturbance in the surrounding air molecules, causing them to vibrate and transmit energy in the form of sound waves.

Answer 4

Yes.

Sound waves traveling through air are a form of compressional (or longitudinal) wave in which the air molecules move back and forth as the sound wave travels through them.

Answer 5

Answer: yes it does

Answer: Sound can travel via any atoms or molecules that are able to bump into one another. That includes air and other gases.

Answer 6

Yes, then these vibrations are turned into electrical signals that are sent to the brain.

Answer 7

Yes. That is the reason we can hear.