When you are swimming underwater, what does it sound like when someone talks from the surface? Why does this happen?

My answer- You can slightly make-out what they are saying.This happens because sound travels faster in water than in air.

Anyone?

To understand what it sounds like when someone talks from the surface while you are swimming underwater, you need to consider how sound behaves in different media.

Sound travels through waves, which are vibrations in a medium, such as water or air. When someone talks on the surface, their vocal cords cause vibrations in the surrounding air, creating sound waves. These sound waves then travel through the air until they reach the surface of the water.

When sound waves encounter the boundary between two different media, like air and water, they undergo a phenomenon known as refraction. Refraction occurs because sound travels at different speeds in different media due to differences in density.

In this case, sound travels faster in water than in air. This means that when sound waves transition from air to water, they change direction and bend towards the water, similar to the way a straw looks bent when it is partially immersed in water.

As a result, when someone talks on the surface, the sound waves that reach your ears underwater have been refracted and are slightly redirected towards you. This redirection allows you to hear a muffled version of what the person is saying.

However, it's important to note that underwater sound is significantly distorted and attenuated due to other factors such as water pressure, absorption, and scattering. These factors, along with the refractive behavior, contribute to the characteristic sound you hear when someone talks from the surface while you are swimming underwater.

In summary, when you are swimming underwater and someone talks on the surface, you can slightly make out what they are saying. This happens because sound waves are refracted as they transition from air to water, bending the waves towards you and allowing the sound to reach your ears to some extent.