Can sound exist in a vacuum?
No
Yes...my hoover is loud when I turn it on!
Ignore Eddie's remark. His Hoover is not in a vacuum. It only creates a partial volume inside itself.
Since sound is produced by the movement of molecules, and there are no molecules in outer space, you cannot hear sound in outer space.
The sound of rockets in space in scifi movies is merely "artistic license" — they are artificially added for effect.
I hope this helps a little more. Thanks for asking.
To understand why sound cannot exist in a vacuum, we need to know how sound propagates. Sound is a mechanical wave that requires a medium, such as air, water, or solids, to travel through. These waves are created by the vibration or disturbance of particles in the medium, which then propagate in the form of compressions and rarefactions.
In a vacuum, there is no medium present. More specifically, there are no particles or molecules to vibrate and transfer the sound waves. Without a medium to carry these waves, they cannot travel and, therefore, sound cannot exist.
Regarding Eddie's remark about the Hoover, while the Hoover may produce a loud noise, it is not because sound is being generated in a vacuum. The sound is actually produced within the Hoover itself, using air and various mechanical components. So, in this case, the sound is not originating in a vacuum, but rather in a system that uses air and other materials to generate sound.
It's important to distinguish between a vacuum, which is a space devoid of particles, and the partial vacuum created within the Hoover, which still contains air and, therefore, allows sound waves to propagate.