Science · 6 pages · 12 min
Why sound needs a medium
Sound is a shove passed from neighbor to neighbor, so no neighbors means no sound.
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From the opening
Sound needs a medium because it is a mechanical wave, a pattern of compressions traveling through matter. The air, the water, or the solid has to be there to be pushed, and then to push the next bit of itself. The opening covers compression passed between neighbors, why a vacuum jar goes quiet, and solids and liquids versus empty space.
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Inside
- Compression passed between neighbors
- Why a vacuum jar goes quiet
- Solids and liquids versus empty space
- Light does not need that carrier
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Mechanical waves in a material medium
- Boyle bell-in-a-vacuum demonstration