Question

Choose the correct option:
Statement 1: Sound cannot travel in vacuum.
Statement 2: Sound is a mechanical wave and propagates as an oscillation of particles through the medium. So, they cannot travel in vacuum.

Answer 1

Here, we have to understand and explain the concept of the sound propagation through any medium or vacuum. To obtain an answer for this question we need to explain each statement and then choose which statement is correct.

Complete answer:
Let us first study the concept of the travelling of the sound wave and from where it travels lucidly. We know that the sound is the mechanical wave since it can be produced mechanically and heard in mediums like solid, liquid or gasses. But in vacuum the propagation of a mechanical wave cannot propagate so the sound does not travel in vacuum unlike light since light is the radiation and sound wave is mechanical wave.

Now, let us discuss about the statements above:
Statement 1: Sound cannot travel in vacuum. This statement is true since mechanical waves cannot travel in vacuum.
Statement 2: Sound is a mechanical wave and propagates as an oscillation of particles through the medium. So, they cannot travel in vacuum.

This statement states that the sound is the mechanical wave and it is true the mechanical waves are produced mechanically and on vibration of the particles in the medium this produced mechanical waves propagates. So the sound travels in medium and cannot travel through the vacuum.

Hence we conclude that statement 1 and statement 2 are both correct.

Note: Mechanical waves: these are the waves of oscillation of the particles, thus transfers the energy through the medium. There are three main types of waves:
-Electromagnetic waves,
-Mechanical waves,
-Matter waves