Fundamental Properties:
Mechanical Waves: Unlike light waves, sound waves require a medium (like air, water, or solids) to travel. They don't travel through a vacuum.
Longitudinal Waves: The particles in the medium vibrate parallel to the direction the wave travels, unlike water waves where particles move up and down.
Compressions and Rarefactions: Sound waves create alternating zones of high pressure (compressions) and low pressure (rarefactions) as they travel.
Key Characteristics:
Additional Characteristics:
Nature of Sound Waves:
Nonlinear Acoustics:
Acoustics of Different Media:
Psychoacoustics:
Advanced Wave Concepts: