What kind of sound can travel in space? How does it work?

Answer 1

Here's a link that describes it nicely and an excerpt:
http://www.qrg.northwestern.edu/projects/vss/docs/space-environment/1-is-there-sound-in-space.html

Sound travels in waves like light or heat does, but unlike them, sound travels by making molecules vibrate. So, in order for sound to travel, there has to be something with molecules for it to travel through. On Earth, sound travels to your ears by vibrating air molecules. In deep space, the large empty areas between stars and planets, there are no molecules to vibrate. There is no sound there.


However, if you're wondering how we manage to send communications through space that's different. We don't send them as sound waves. To do that we need a way to convert the sound waves to a form of electromagnetic radiation that can travel through space, like radio waves or light for example. A transmitter can do that (just like broadcast TV uses). It uses a modulator to convert the sound information to a form that can be 'carried' within the frequency of say a radio wave. At the other end you need a receiver with a demodulator to decode the information and turn it back into a sound wave. So basically, to send sound through space we first have to convert it to a form of energy that can travel through space and then convert it back at the other end.

Answer 2

Sound moves as a wave due to a mechanical disturbance of the air or other structured materials.
Sound cannot travel in a vaccum( a vacuum means absence of air)or gas) .However It can travel thru solid substances.
Space is a different kind of structure. The disturbance of space also causes a wave disturbance .This disturbance of space is called radio wave....
A disturbance of space at low frequency is called a gravity wave.
So the difference between radio waves , Gravity waves,sound
waves etc.. is in the frequency and amplitude of the disturbance.

Answer 3

As usual everyone has given you incorrect answers. Though they may be excused in this case because everyone in high school is "taught" that this is the CORRECT answer.

They have correctly pointed out that sound is a longitudinal, mechanical pressure wave and that sound cannot be propagated in a vacuum. Their mistake is assuming that space is a vacuum. It is, in fact, NEARLY a vacuum. Sound can be propagated in a near vacuum - the frequency of which is in direct proportion to the density of the propagating medium. This means that sound waves of EXTREMELY low frequency can indeed be propagated through space. An example of this process was made famous a couple of years ago and made it into all the papers. I have placed links to explain the process below.

Be advised that most H.S. teachers will not believe you because they can only repeat the mantra taught to them when they were in H.S. so I suggest that you study the material carefully to make your case that SOMETIMES SOUND CAN TRAVEL IN SPACE!!!

Answer 4

Sound-waves require a relatively dense medium (such as air or water) in which to travel, so the answer is none. Space is a vacuum, which cannot transmit sound-waves (despite the fact you hear an explosion in every sci-fi series or movie, set in space, ever made).

Answer 5

You could say there is sounds to be heard in space but it depends on the receiver or what is hearing the sound. Since there is no air in space a human would hear nothing. A robot or satellite of some type could hear sounds generated in the range of radio frequencies that they are designed to use. Radio telescopes "listen" to the snap crackly and pop of space bodies and phenomenons in their quest for knowledge.

Answer 6

Sound can't travel in empty space, sound is the vibrating of air, so air is needed in order to have sound. SF movies like star trek, in which you hear loud bangs when a spaceship explodes are pure fantasy

Answer 7

From what I learned, sound cannot travel in space due to the vacuum.

Answer 8

Sound is a wave that travels via a actual medium. Like, air, or water. There would desire to be some thing there that enables sound to propagate, to establish that somebody to pay attention it. mild, on the different hand, is an electromagnetic wave. It "vibrates" with an electric and magnetic field, ninety stages from one yet another. mild is the comparable element as radio waves, microwaves, x-rays, and gamma rays, that can all travels via area.

Answer 9

No air no sound. If a tree falls in the woods it makes a sound but no one hears it, if the tree fell in space no sound. But man would still be wrong. (that is what wife tells me LOL)

Answer 10

Sound consistes of vibrations in air (or other physical matter). Since there's no air in space, there is no sound.