Because the molecules of solids, liquids, and gases are what transmit sound waves from one location to another, sound cannot move without some sort of material medium for its propagation, such as a solid, a liquid, or a gas. Because there are no molecules in a vacuum that can vibrate and convey sound waves, it is impossible for sound to travel through a vacuum.
Do sound and light waves need a medium to travel?
Because of this, they require a means of transportation. Sound waves are able to travel across a variety of materials, including air and water, whereas ocean waves are created when energy shifts the water itself. Light waves, on the other hand, are electromagnetic waves, which are able to move independently of matter and may traverse great distances.
How do sound waves travel through matter?
In order for these vibrations to make it to our ears, they require something to go through, and that something is matter. This vibration keeps traveling through again and again until it reaches our ears, and it does so because the vibrations of one particle have enough kinetic energy to transmit to another particle.
Does sound travel better through air or water?
Because atoms are so much closer together in liquids and solids, such as water, sound waves are able to travel further through these substances than they can through gases. However, the reason that we humans are able to hear better in air is due to the fact that we have evolved over time and have become accustomed to hearing in air.