Which statement describes sound waves?

• A. Sound waves are Acoustic waves
• B. Sound waves are Electromagnetic waves
• C. Sound waves are Gravitational waves
• D. Sound waves are Quantum waves

Answer: (A)

Sound waves are mechanical disturbances that propagate through a medium as pressure variations caused by vibrating objects. This is what “acoustic waves” means: waves of sound traveling through air, water, or solids by pushing and pulling particles as they move. They aren’t electromagnetic waves, which are changes in electric and magnetic fields and can travel through a vacuum; they aren’t gravitational waves, which are ripples in spacetime from massive accelerating bodies; and they aren’t quantum waves, which describe the probabilistic nature of particles in quantum mechanics. So describing sound waves as acoustic waves best matches how they carry energy through a medium via particle interactions.