No Sound in Vacuum: Intuitive or Unintuitive?

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In summary, sound requires a medium to travel and cannot propagate in a vacuum. This means that in a vacuum or empty space, there will be no sound. This may seem unintuitive because if we are physically connected to an instrument, we may expect to hear the sound it produces. However, without a medium for the sound waves to travel through, we will not be able to hear the sound. This can be demonstrated by experiments such as placing an instrument in a vacuum or putting a radio and detector in a vacuum.
  • #1
pivoxa15
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Since sound recquires a medium to travel, there should be no sound in a vacuum or empty space?

If it is true than isn't it a bit unintuitive as I would not hear myself playing an instrument when in a vaccum.
 
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  • #2
Why would that be unintuitive?

Caveat: if you are playing an instrument, you are physicallly connected to it, so it will transmit it's sound to you directly. It would just sound different than if there were air.
 
  • #3
You will not simply hear the instrument. For example you will not hear the sound of of a drum if you are simply hitting it. for that you will have to keep your ears on the drum surface. but i don't know who told you this? ask him to specify what he told.
anyway the basic concept is sound needs a medium to travel. so it an travel through the instrument medium
 
  • #4
russ_watters said:
Why would that be unintuitive?
Caveat: if you are playing an instrument, you are physicallly connected to it, so it will transmit it's sound to you directly. It would just sound different than if there were air.

If we are physically connected to the instrument,in what way it will communicate with us? For sound to propagate some medium should be there ,,there should be some thing to carry the waves coming out of the instrument till the reciever, (ear)
And I think its an imaginary experiment to perform it in vocuum because 1) sound cannt propagate in vacuum
2)we cannt live there in such low pressures..

even if u are there to perform u can not listen to it..its not intutive.
 
  • #5
I was thinking of a situation where I am in a special suit and I was put into a vaccumed room with a loud instrument (in air) unattached to the suit. Assume that I could detect sound in my suit when playing the instrument normally in air.

Would it be true that I would not detect any sound (that is sound will not travel between the instrument and my ear because there is no medium for it to travel in) no matter how loud the instrument can be in air?
 
  • #6
I didnt get u..instrument is in air and you r in vacuum with spl suit,,this is waht u meant, if i got u!
In this case the instrument is in air but detector(ear) is in void, so u shouldn't hear anything..but the mechanical vibrations can reach ur body as ur holding the instrument.
 
  • #7
russ_watters said:
Why would that be unintuitive?
Caveat: if you are playing an instrument, you are physicallly connected to it, so it will transmit it's sound to you directly. It would just sound different than if there were air.
Russ: You may be a mentor, so all the more reason to set a good example. "It's" means "It is"; the neutral possessive pronound is "Its". No apostrophe.
 
  • #8
Ooh ! That's a low blow. :frown:
 
  • #9
Uhhh oh, krab is going to unleash the monster in russ!
 
  • #10
krab said:
Russ: You may be a mentor, so all the more reason to set a good example. "It's" means "It is"; the neutral possessive pronound is "Its". No apostrophe.

and wait a second :P

To the OP, if you setup a very specialized situation, don't expect things to be very intuitive.
 
  • #11
pivoxa15 said:
I was thinking of a situation where I am in a special suit and I was put into a vaccumed room with a loud instrument (in air) unattached to the suit. Assume that I could detect sound in my suit when playing the instrument normally in air.

Would it be true that I would not detect any sound (that is sound will not travel between the instrument and my ear because there is no medium for it to travel in) no matter how loud the instrument can be in air?


Sorry I did not make myself clear enough. The instrument plays loudly in air. But I carry it in the vaccumed room. So after it is in the vaccumed room, there is no air surrounding the instrument.

An equivalent example would be to put a radio and a detector with some distance apart in a vaccumed room and the radio is turned on to full volume. Will the detector record any sound from this radio in this vaccumed room?

I guess they are more like thought experiments.
 
  • #12
photon79 said:
If we are physically connected to the instrument,in what way it will communicate with us? For sound to propagate some medium should be there ,,there should be some thing to carry the waves coming out of the instrument till the reciever, (ear)
And I think its an imaginary experiment to perform it in vocuum because 1) sound cannt propagate in vacuum
2)we cannt live there in such low pressures..
even if u are there to perform u can not listen to it..its not intutive.
Well, setting aside the dying thing, if you play a guitar, for example, the sound waves will travel through your arms, to your ears.
krab said:
Russ: You may be a mentor, so all the more reason to set a good example. "It's" means "It is"; the neutral possessive pronound is "Its". No apostrophe.
Ok...I know that - do I do that a lot? I have a handful of common typos that I make (some "ie" and "ei" words that I get backwards a lot). I, also, tend, to, overuse, comas...
Penguino said:
Uhhh oh, krab is going to unleash the monster in russ!
Despite what you see from me in the politics forum, you've never seen the monster in me. Very few have.
 
  • #13
pivoxa15 said:
Sorry I did not make myself clear enough. The instrument plays loudly in air. But I carry it in the vaccumed room. So after it is in the vaccumed room, there is no air surrounding the instrument.
An equivalent example would be to put a radio and a detector with some distance apart in a vaccumed room and the radio is turned on to full volume. Will the detector record any sound from this radio in this vaccumed room?
I guess they are more like thought experiments.

You will hear no sound coming from the instrument and no sound from the radio.

To intuit requires a previous or familair situation from which to extrapolate. We do not normally interact with vacuum, so there's no intuition.
 

1. Is it true that there is no sound in a vacuum?

Yes, it is true that there is no sound in a vacuum. Sound is created by vibrations traveling through a medium, such as air or water. In a vacuum, there is no medium for the vibrations to travel through, so there is no sound.

2. Why is it intuitive to think that there would be no sound in a vacuum?

It is intuitive to think that there would be no sound in a vacuum because we are used to hearing sound in our everyday lives, and we associate it with the presence of air or another medium. Since a vacuum is devoid of any medium, it makes sense that there would be no sound.

3. Are there any exceptions to the rule that there is no sound in a vacuum?

Yes, there are a few exceptions. Sound can still be transmitted through solid objects, such as walls or floors, even if there is a vacuum on either side. Additionally, some scientists have been able to create and detect sound in a vacuum using specialized equipment, but this is not the norm.

4. How does the absence of sound in a vacuum affect space travel and communication?

The absence of sound in a vacuum has a significant impact on space travel and communication. Without air or another medium to carry sound, astronauts and spacecraft cannot rely on traditional methods of communication, such as speaking or using a phone. Instead, they must use other technologies, such as radio waves, to communicate.

5. Can sound travel through a vacuum if it is artificially created?

Yes, sound can be artificially created in a vacuum using specialized equipment, but it would not be able to travel any significant distance since there is no medium for it to travel through. The sound would dissipate quickly due to the lack of particles to carry the vibrations.

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