When a body vibrates, it causes the air around it to undergo compression and rarefaction.
- The compressed air has higher pressure than the surrounding air, pushing nearby air particles forward.
- A rarefaction (low-pressure region) is created at the original position as particles move away.
- These alternating compressions and rarefactions travel through the air, causing air particles to vibrate around their mean position.
- The energy of the sound wave is carried forward in these vibrations until it reaches our ears.
- The eardrum vibrates in response, and the brain interprets these vibrations as sound.
Thus, sound waves travel through a medium as a series of compressions and rarefactions, ultimately reaching our ears and creating the sensation of hearing.
