2007-03-29 16:33:30 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
it will stop propagating due to friction, turbulence and energy absorption by the medium (air or else) through which the sound waves travel.
it can also be absorbed by anything else that's on its way (any object it will hit will absorb more or less energy the sound waves carry).
2007-03-29 16:46:16 · answer #1 · answered by Gorilla 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's a good question. Electromagnetic radiation like light or radio waves just keeps going through empty space indefinitely, but sound waves dissipate into the random thermal motion of air molecules. So there's no way you can recover a sound that was made hours ago. The loudest sounds ever made, like the explosion of Krakatoa, have been detected after going round the world more than once, but even these dissipate eventually.
2007-03-30 01:59:53 · answer #2 · answered by zee_prime 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As with anything moving through air there is resistance. the wave starts out with X amount of energy. As it forces its way through the air a little bit of it's energy is lost until it can no longer force it's way through the air. The more air it must force it's way through (the farther away a listener is), the quiter the sound, until eventually the sound can no longer be heard.
2007-03-30 07:15:07 · answer #3 · answered by david37863 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It gets picked up by the sound police and shipped off to jail. Actually, it will dissipate due to interference with other sound waves.
2007-03-29 23:37:27 · answer #4 · answered by cattbarf 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋