Question

How does the sound produced by a vibrating object in a medium reach your ear?

• A. Through electron transfer
• B. Through the vibration of particles
• C. Sound waves don't need a medium
• D. Not enough data

Answer 1

Answer: (B)

Through the vibration of particles

When an object vibrates, it vibrates the neighbouring particles of the medium. These vibrating particles then vibrate to the adjacent particles. Vibrations in an object create disturbance in the medium and consequently compressions and rarefactions. In this way, vibrations produced by an object are transferred from one particle to another in the form of compressions and rarefactions till it reaches our ear.
Region of high pressure and high density is called compression and region of low pressure and low density in the air is called rarefaction. As the object continues to vibrate, it produces a series of successive compression and rarefaction in the air, thus, propagating sound through the air and finally reaches our ears.