Looking at our longitudinal wave then, we can say that the distance in space between adjacent compression points or maxima is equal to the wavelength □ of this sound wave. We’ve seen that if we have a transverse wave, one whose peaks and troughs are perpendicular to the direction of the wave’s motion, then one wavelength for that wave is equal to the distance from one peak to another one or one trough to the one next to it. Compressions and rarefactions are the peaks and troughs of this wave, respectively. In those places, the air molecules are rare while the wave is passing through. And the places where molecules are few and far between are called rarefactions. The areas where air molecules begin to bunch together are called compressions. That is, while the sound wave is passing through this swathe of air, the air molecules begin to take on the shape of the wave. ![]() Yet while this wave is passing through the molecules, they’re temporarily influenced to alternately bunch together or spread out. The air molecules in this path continue to move around as they were before, bouncing off one another at high speed. ![]() When we open our mouth in speech, based on the direction of our mouth, we create a pathway that we transmit energy into.Īs a longitudinal wave, the sound energy that we release has an effect on the air molecules in its path as the wave is passing through those molecules. It’s these molecules as disordered and high-speed as their motion is that allow the transmission of sound from your vocal cords out your mouth and into the air to a listener’s ear. Based on their temperature, these molecules move around at high speeds and collide with one another, roughly a billion times every second. All around you, present but invisible to the eye are air molecules. Imagine you are standing outside on a pleasant spring afternoon. To maximize the speed at which your message travels to your friend, which way would you choose? To understand the answer, we’ll want to know something about the propagation of sound waves. Another option is to speak into the open end of an empty tin can which is connected to a cord which on the other end is tied to a can up to your friend’s ear. One option of course is to say the message out loud and let the sound transmit through the air between you. To start out, imagine that you wanted to get a message to your friend as quickly as possible. We’ll see how sound waves move and what factors affect their motion through different materials. In this video, we’re going to learn about the propagation of sound waves.
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