
Sound | Properties, Types, & Facts | Britannica
Nov 6, 2025 · Sound, a mechanical disturbance from a state of equilibrium that propagates through an elastic material medium. A purely subjective, but unduly restrictive, definition of …
Properties of sound | Britannica
The speed of sound through a medium depends on the medium’s elasticity, density, and temperature. In dry air at 32 °F (0 °C), the speed of sound is 1,086 feet (331 metres) per …
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 …
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 …
sound - Students | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. Sound, then, depends on three things. There must be a vibrating source to set up sound waves, a medium (such as air) to carry the waves, and a receiver to …
Physics | Definition, Types, Topics, Importance, & Facts | Britannica
Oct 13, 2025 · Physics, science that deals with the structure of matter and the interactions between the fundamental constituents of the observable universe. Its scope of study …
Timbre | Frequency, Harmonics & Waveforms | Britannica
Oct 7, 2025 · Timbre, quality of auditory sensations produced by the tone of a sound wave. The timbre of a sound depends on its wave form, which varies with the number of overtones, or …
How Does Sound Travel? | Waves, Speed, Frequency, & Amplitude
Nov 5, 2025 · Sound travels in waves that are essentially disturbances that move through a medium by causing particles to vibrate back and forth in the direction of the wave’s travel. …
Principle of superposition | Definition, Examples, & Facts | Britannica
Principle of superposition, in wave motion, the principle that when two or more waves overlap in space, the resulting disturbance is equal to the algebraic sum of the individual disturbances. …
sound - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help
Sound waves may travel through many mediums. These include air, water, and solid objects. Sound waves pass through mediums in all directions. Third, some kind of receiver, such as the …