Sounds????

Question

Sound does not travel through the vacuum of space. Explain why this is true.

Which of these do you think would allow sound to travel fastest? Explain your answer.

air

water

solid wood

Answer 1

Sound is the vibration of the molecules in the air - no air, no vibrations!

If molecules are closely spaced, vibrations travel quickly.  Which of those substances has the most closely-packed molecules?  Wood.

Answer 2

Sound is a vibration travelling in the form of a wave through matter.  Although the density of air is low in comparison to other forms of matter, there are still molecules.  In a vacuum like space, there are NO molecules to vibrate.

Something to think about:  all of those exploding sounds in Star Wars space fights... not actually possible.

Water has a higher density than air and the average wood density (hence why wood floats!).

Answer 3

You need to do you own research.  What is sound?  What is missing in a vacuum that does not permit sound to travel.  What properties of the medium affect the speed of sound.