A wave is a disturbance that travels through a medium, transferring energy without permanently displacing the medium itself.
The characteristics of a wave include amplitude, wavelength, frequency, and speed. Amplitude is the maximum displacement of particles in the medium, and wavelength is the distance between two consecutive points in the wave with the same phase. Frequency is the number of complete waves passing through a point per unit time, and speed is the rate at which the wave travels through the medium.
Sound waves travel through the air as a series of compressions and rarefactions. When an object vibrates, it creates a disturbance in the air which causes the air particles to vibrate and produce sound waves.
Sound waves are measured in terms of amplitude and frequency. Amplitude is measured in decibels (dB) and represents the loudness of the sound. Frequency is measured in Hertz (Hz) and represents the pitch of the sound.
Sound waves require a medium to travel through, while light waves can travel through a vacuum. Sound waves are longitudinal waves, meaning that the particles in the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of the wave, while light waves are transverse waves, meaning that the particles vibrate perpendicular to the direction of the wave. Sound waves also travel at a much slower speed than light waves.