What (if anything) is sound made of?

[Bradfordly1]

What(if anything) is sound made of?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

"In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as a typically audible mechanical wave of pressure and displacement, through a medium such as air or water."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound

 

[sophiecentaur]

"In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as a typically audible mechanical wave of pressure and displacement, through a medium such as air or water."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound

Sometimes, you can feel and see those vibrations, as well as hearing them. A guitar string can be seen to vibrate from side to side and you can actually feel the 'buzzing' against the back of your finger.Your question goes back to ancient times when sound and light were regarded as 'substances' that flowed from the source to the receiver. Heat was also viewed in the same way. It's a very reasonable first stab at an explanation but the idea of waves and microscopic movements of particles works better for sound..

 

[Demystifier]

What(if anything) is sound made of?

Sound is made of tiny particles called phonons. Except that it isn't.

If this is not confusing enough, see also
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/what-is-quantum-theory-about.767672/#post-4833132

 

[Drakkith]

Sound is made of tiny particles called phonons. Except that it isn't.

Yes, and when they get stuck in your ear they have to call tiny tow trucks to come get them unstuck. But they also give bad directions, so the tow trucks have to call them back frequently. This explains the ringing in your ears. Older folks tend to have more earwax (also known as experience) built up, which acts like mud and traps more phonons. Especially the quick ones that like to drive fast. This is why you lose your ability to hear high pitched sounds as you age.

Disclaimer: The above explanation has been evaluated by the European Association for Responsible Standardization (EARS) and has been found to be nonsensical. Don't listen to it.