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Understanding Wave Phenomena

Sound in Air, A Brief Explanation;


Understanding sound as most of us know it, in basic language, can easily go from totally making sense to extremely complicated, quite quickly.


Working in submerged conditions, such as in Ocean waters, it gets far more complicated.


Here, we try to provide a very basic understanding of “Sound”, it’s various characteristics and principles of sympathetic vibration in our Earth’s atmosphere or ‘in the air”


We will start with sound, as we know - in the air that surrounds us.  Sound, is generated by the physical movement of an object and the frequency that the object moves. When movement occurs, the object causes pressure in the air when it moves. Sometimes it may approach and retire in a given direction, or move continuously, in one direction. Regardless, the object will cause “wave phenomena” to take place. Note: Sound, is not visible to the human eye.


Scientifically speaking, this is referred to “wave phenomena” as the “wave” itself, does contain “matter”, but, it does “effect” matter, before itself and after itself. To better understand this, take a stereo speaker for example. When a charge of energy is applied to the speaker, the cone moves forward and visa versa, when the charge is released. Each time this occurs, a “wave” of pressure has been created. The frequency, or times-per-second, that this occurs, is known as tone. Thus, various frequencies, create various tones. Tones, are the existence of continuous waves of energy released in to the atmosphere and may fluctuate in frequency and become extremely complicated as well.


As humans, we have ears, obviously.  As sounds are generated, from any given source, the human ear drum is “excited” from the inbound wave, causing the ear drum to vibrate at the specific frequency being generated by the “source” of the sound and the human brain reads that information, which is what we call “hearing”. For example, let’s use “A” Above Middle “C” on a piano keyboard. Striking the key, vibrates the string of the piano, at 440 times per second. Or 440Hz.  So, we humans hear “A above middle C”


The “frequency” of a tone - the “number of vibrations per second” - is called “Hertz”, as many have heard the term, which also has many applications we won’t get in to here and now. Thus the abbreviation “Hz” which stands for the name of the discoverer and namer of this scientific fact. His name was “Hertz”


So, how this all works, scientifically speaking, is known as “sympathetic vibration”  In very simple terms, the actions of one object, effect another in exactly the same manner, causing it, to mimic the original source.  Example: If you hold up an acoustic guitar close to another acoustic guitar and pluck the “E” string of one guitar, the guitar that was not plucked, will start to play the “E” string.  The same thing applies to antennas.


On a side note:  Radio works in somewhat the same way.  Example: You listen to FM radio in you car. Your station broadcasts at a specific frequency. That is the “carrier wave” frequency or “channel”  You car antenna is effected by sympathetic vibration from the massive broadcast antenna tower signal power and your car radio, “decodes” that signal, and you, listen to music. This is a wave frequency far above human hearing spectrum of course which is in the “radio wave” spectrum, which contains many bands and frequencies that perform different functions regarding communications. Keep in mind, as we’ve discussed, while sound in air travels at approximately 640 miles an hour, radio waves, travel at the speed of light; 186,000 miles per second.


Additional Notes:


  1. •Hot air is more difficult to compress, thus, sound does not

  carry as far as in colder air.

  1. •Radio waves do not pass through water.

  2. •Wave phenomena in water, acts much differently, than in air.



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We’ll contact you directly, provide more detailed information and answer any questions you have.

Sound in Water, A Brief Explanation;


Our “Understanding Wave Phenomena” in water segment will be posted the week of December 8, 2025


Please check back.