Which description best defines sound energy?

• A. Energy carried by light waves produced by vibrating objects.
• B. Energy carried by sound waves produced by vibrating objects.
• C. The energy stored in a compressed spring.
• D. Energy due to motion of electrons in a conductor.

Answer: (B)

Sound energy is energy carried by sound waves produced by vibrating objects, and it travels through a medium as mechanical waves. When an object vibrates, it wiggles the surrounding particles, creating compressions and rarefactions that propagate energy away from the source. This energy can be transferred to other objects, like your eardrum, so you perceive sound. It’s a form of mechanical energy, unlike light energy (carried by light waves), potential energy stored in a compressed spring, or electrical energy from moving electrons. Sound needs a medium to move through, so in a vacuum there’s no sound energy transfer.