Vibration that travels via pressure waves in matter

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sound</span>

Sound

<p>In <a href="/en/Physics" title="Physics" class="wl">physics</a>, <b>sound</b> is a <a href="/en/Vibration" title="Vibration" class="wl">vibration</a> that propagates as an <a href="/en/Acoustic_wave" title="Acoustic wave" class="wl">acoustic wave</a>, through a <a href="/en/Transmission_medium" title="Transmission medium" class="wl">transmission medium</a> such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human <a href="/en/Physiology" title="Physiology" class="wl">physiology</a> and <a href="/en/Psychology" title="Psychology" class="wl">psychology</a>, sound is the <i>reception</i> of such waves and their <i>perception</i> by the <a href="/en/Brain" title="Brain" class="wl">brain</a>.<span class="mw-ref reference" id="cite_ref-1"><a href="#cite_note-1" style="counter-reset: mw-Ref 1;"><span class="mw-reflink-text">[1]</span></a></span> Only acoustic waves that have <a href="/en/Frequency" title="Frequency" class="wl">frequencies</a> lying between about 20<span>&nbsp;</span>Hz and 20<span>&nbsp;</span>kHz, the <a href="/en/Audio_frequency" title="Audio frequency" class="wl">audio frequency</a> range, elicit an auditory percept in humans. In air at atmospheric pressure, these represent sound waves with <a href="/en/Wavelength" title="Wavelength" class="wl">wavelengths</a> of <span>17 meters (56</span><span>&nbsp;</span><span>ft)</span> to <span>1.7 centimeters (0.67</span><span>&nbsp;</span><span>in)</span>. Sound waves above 20<span>&nbsp;</span><a href="/en/KHz" title="KHz" class="mw-redirect wl">kHz</a> are known as <a href="/en/Ultrasound" title="Ultrasound" class="wl">ultrasound</a> and are not audible to humans. Sound waves below 20<span>&nbsp;</span>Hz are known as <a href="/en/Infrasound" title="Infrasound" class="wl">infrasound</a>. Different animal species have varying <a href="/en/Hearing_range" title="Hearing range" class="wl">hearing ranges</a>.</p>

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<div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none" about="#mwt9">Vibration that travels via pressure waves in matter</div>

<figure class="mw-default-size wiki-thumb"><a href="/en/File:Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg" class="mw-file-description image media-thumb" data-hash="File:Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg"><img loading="lazy" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg/300px-Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg" decoding="async" data-file-width="2112" data-file-height="2816" data-file-type="bitmap" height="400" width="300" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg/450px-Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4b/Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg/600px-Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg 2x" alt="Thoth08BigasDrumEvansChalmette.jpg"></a><figcaption>A drum produces sound via a vibrating <a href="/en/Membrane" title="Membrane" class="wl">membrane</a></figcaption></figure>
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<div class="side-box-image"><figure class="mw-halign-center"><span><img loading="lazy" alt="Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg/50px-Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg.png" decoding="async" data-file-width="160" data-file-height="160" data-file-type="drawing" height="50" width="50" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg/75px-Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/87/Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg/100px-Gnome-mime-sound-openclipart.svg.png 2x"></span><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>
<div class="side-box-text plainlist"><div class="haudio">
<div class="listen-file-header"><a href="/en/File:Drum_-_Cadence_A.ogg" title="File:Drum - Cadence A.ogg" class="wl">Drum - Cadence A</a></div>
<div><span class="mw-default-audio-height"><span><div class='audio-player' title='Drum - Cadence A'><audio controls="" preload="none" height="32" width="232" resource="./File:Drum_-_Cadence_A.ogg"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Drum_-_Cadence_A.ogg" type="audio/ogg; codecs=&quot;vorbis&quot;" data-title="Original Ogg file (136 kbps)" data-shorttitle="Ogg source"><source src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/e/e1/Drum_-_Cadence_A.ogg/Drum_-_Cadence_A.ogg.mp3" type="audio/mpeg" data-title="MP3" data-shorttitle="MP3"></audio></div></span></span></div>
<div class="description"><a href="/en/Drum_cadence" title="Drum cadence" class="wl">Drum cadences</a> performed by the <a href="/en/United_States_Navy_Band" title="United States Navy Band" class="wl">United States Navy Band</a></div></div></div></div>
<div class="side-box-abovebelow"><hr><i class="selfreference">Problems playing this file? See <a href="/en/Help:Media" title="Help:Media" class="wl">media help</a>.</i></div>
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In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid.
In human physiology and psychology, sound is the reception of such waves and their perception by the brain. Only acoustic waves that have frequencies lying between about 20 Hz and 20 kHz, the audio frequency range, elicit an auditory percept in humans. In air at atmospheric pressure, these represent sound waves with wavelengths of 17 meters to 1.7 centimeters . Sound waves above 20 kHz are known as ultrasound and are not audible to humans. Sound waves below 20 Hz are known as infrasound. Different animal species have varying hearing ranges. 