Sound Waves: How Vibrations Travel Through Air

Sound waves are vibrations that move through air as compressions and rarefactions.
They are a type of longitudinal wave, with particles moving back and forth along the direction of travel.
Sound cannot travel in a vacuum—it needs a medium like air, water, or solids.
In air, sound moves at about 343 meters per second at room temperature.
Louder sounds come from waves with bigger amplitudes, while higher-pitched sounds have higher frequencies.
Your ears detect changes in air pressure from these vibrations, which the brain interprets as sound.
Temperature, humidity, and altitude all affect how fast sound travels.
Sound waves can reflect as echoes, bend around obstacles, or even combine to amplify or cancel out.
Musical notes, speech, and everyday noises are all carried by the same basic sound wave physics.
From whispers to thunder, sound waves are the invisible messengers of vibration and energy.