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John Phoenix
Oct1-06, 09:28 PM
What are the effects of weightlessness on sound waves, if any?
[Not talking about human hearing or ability to locate sound]

daso
Oct6-06, 02:49 AM
What are the effects of weightlessness on sound waves, if any?
[Not talking about human hearing or ability to locate sound]

No considerable effect, I would guess. In a room here on Earth, you can neglect the effect of gravity on atoms and molecules in the air, since the kinetic energy of the particles is so large. On a larger scale, gravity will lead to a pressure gradient and that will affect a soundwave, but not the mechanism of the propagating sound wave.