Can sound waves kill living things?

Answer 1

A shock wave from an explosion entails a discontinuous pressure impulse that is more destructive than a continuous sound wave of equal amplitude since it creates a sudden "overpressure" on one side of your body, but not the other. This results in one being crushed. However, if the explosion is large enough (think nuclear bomb), the infrasonic sound wave left over from the dissipated shock can still kill by picking you off your feet and throwing you through the air at a few hundred miles per hour. Although, technically speaking, it will be whatever you hit that ends your flight that kills you.

Answer 2

For the purpose of getting useful answers, the distinction should probably be made between sound waves and shock waves. The blast wave from a bomb is a shock wave, though at a distance it will degenerate to a non-lethal sound wave.

Answer 3

Yes, if they are large enough. Sounds travel as pressure waves of air (that's why there is no sound in space), which push on your eardrum and let you hear. If they are large enough, they can knock you over or damage internal organs. This could lead to death, I suppose. But not like in cartoons, when loud yelling can knock people over. Probably nothing short of a nuclear bomb blast (248 dB) could do that.

Answer 4

Yes, if the intensity of the sound wave is high enough. You have even experienced this on a small scale yourself: when your ears ring after a very loud sound (or a rock concert), it is because you have damaged or destroyed some of the cells in the cilia that line your inner ear canal.

Answer 5

If they're loud enough they sure can. In a way, the concussion from a bomb going off next to you is just a big sound wave. Sometimes, people killed by concussion look unharmed on the surface, but their insides are completely turned to mush.

Answer 6

I do not know this as a fact but I would guess yes. Many tests have been done playing different music to plants and at different sound levels. Seem that most plants grow and thrive with classical music but they do not do well and often die with the raucus music that many people play now. I should think that loud enough and raucus enough it would kill plants.

Answer 7

Yes , There are acoustic devices that can generate the resonant frequency of certain cell types and cause them to vibrate apart. And directed High power Ultrasound can literally boil the water inside the body.

Answer 8

Sound waves can't kill anything, I think what u mean is the ultrasound devices that drive away the bugs and ants. this sound waves only annoy them but it can never kill them.