Vacuum & Sound: What Happens to Energy?

Lmlodninja · May 23, 2017

What happens to sound when it hits a vacuum? Because there is nothing for the sound wave to vibrate against, what happens to the energy?

DrClaude · May 24, 2017

The sound wave will get reflected back.

anorlunda · May 24, 2017

It depends on what you mean by sound. There are shock waves and other winds in nebula. The following thread and the "Similar Discussions" list at the bottom of this page may help.

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/interstellar-speed-of-sound.683322/#post-4334974

Lmlodninja · May 24, 2017

Anorlunda, what I mean by sound is vibrations that travel through the air or another medium and can be heard when they reach a person's or animal's ear.

Vacuum & Sound: What Happens to Energy?

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