When the energy of a sound wave is transferred to a particle of a medium and causes it to vibrate and generate heat, the sound wave is......
Do you have choices. I think several words might go there.
When the energy of a sound wave is transferred to a particle of a medium and causes it to vibrate and generate heat, it is referred to as absorption. Absorption occurs when the particles of the medium, such as air molecules, water molecules, or solid objects, absorb the energy of the sound wave and convert it into thermal energy.
To understand how sound waves cause absorption and generate heat, we need to explain the process in a bit more detail.
When a sound wave travels through a medium, it consists of regions of higher and lower pressure called compressions and rarefactions, respectively. As the sound wave propagates, these regions of pressure variation cause the particles of the medium to oscillate back and forth, resulting in vibration.
During this vibration, the particles interact with each other, and their kinetic energy increases. This increased kinetic energy is essentially heat energy generated by the absorption of sound waves. The vibrating particles transfer their excess energy to neighboring particles through collisions, raising the temperature of the medium and generating heat.
In summary, when the energy of a sound wave is absorbed by particles of a medium, causing them to vibrate and generate heat, this process is known as absorption.