What is a Compression Wave?

A compression wave is a type of sound wave in which the pressure of the waves oscillates above and below atmospheric pressure. These waves are created by vibrating objects, such as musical instruments or the human vocal cords.

Compression waves travel through a medium by causing the molecules of that medium to compress and rarefy. The speed of sound in air is about 340 m/s, which means that a compression wave will take about 0.0029 seconds to travel 1 meter. The wavelength of a compression wave is the distance between two successive compressions or rarefactions.

The amplitude of a compression wave determines its loudness. The greater the amplitude, the louder the noise. Amplitude is measured in decibels (dB). The average human ear can hear sounds with amplitudes as low as 20 dB.

Compression waves are often used in medical imaging, such as ultrasound and MRI scans. They are also used in sonar technology, which uses reflected sound waves to detect objects underwater.