When an object vibrates, it sets the particles of the surrounding medium vibrating. The particles in the medium in contact with the vibrating object displace from their equilibrium position. It then exerts a force on the adjacent particles. After displacing the adjacent particle the first particle of the medium comes back in its original position. This process continues in the medium till the sound reaches your ear.
- Sound is produced when an object vibrates, creating a pressure wave.
- Sound waves entering the ear travel through the external auditory canal before striking the eardrum and causing it to vibrate.
- Sound cannot travel through a vacuum.
- Sound waves also need a material medium for propagation, these waves are called mechanical waves.