
Sound | Properties, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 6, 2025 · The study of sound should begin with the properties of sound waves. There are two basic types of wave, transverse and longitudinal, differentiated by the way in which the wave is propagated.
Sound - Frequency, Wavelength, Absorption | Britannica
Nov 6, 2025 · Sound - Frequency, Wavelength, Absorption: In addition to the geometric decrease in intensity caused by the inverse square law, a small part of a sound wave is lost to the air or other …
Properties of sound | Britannica
sound, Mechanical disturbance that propagates as a longitudinal wave through a solid, liquid, or gas. A sound wave is generated by a vibrating object. The vibrations cause alternating compressions …
Acoustics | Definition, Physics, & Facts | Britannica
Acoustics, the science concerned with the production, control, transmission, reception, and effects of sound. Beginning with its origins in the study of mechanical vibrations and the radiation of these …
Sound - Frequency, Wavelength, Impedance | Britannica
Nov 6, 2025 · Sound - Frequency, Wavelength, Impedance: One of the important physical characteristics relating to the propagation of sound is the acoustic impedance of the medium in which …
How Does Sound Travel? | Waves, Speed, Frequency, & Amplitude
Nov 5, 2025 · Sound waves have properties such as frequency and wavelength that affect how we perceive them. Frequency, measured in hertz, determines the pitch of the sound: higher frequencies …
Sound - Frequency, Amplitude, Decibels | Britannica
Nov 6, 2025 · Sound - Frequency, Amplitude, Decibels: The idea of noise is fundamental to the sound of many vibrating systems, and it is useful in describing the spectra of vocal sibilants as well.
Sound - Decibel, Frequency, Amplitude | Britannica
Nov 6, 2025 · Sound - Decibel, Frequency, Amplitude: The ear mechanism is able to respond to both very small and very large pressure waves by virtue of being nonlinear; that is, it responds much more …
Wave motion | Definition, Examples, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Most familiar are surface waves on water, but both sound and light travel as wavelike disturbances, and the motion of all subatomic particles exhibits wavelike properties. The study of waves therefore forms …
Speed of sound | Description & Examples | Britannica
Dec 3, 2025 · The study of sound should begin with the properties of sound waves. There are two basic types of wave, transverse and longitudinal, differentiated by the way in which the wave is propagated.