Sound particle
Encyclopedia
Sound particle
In the context of particle displacement
, particle velocity
, etc, an imaginary infinitesimal volume of a medium that shares the movement of the medium in response to the presence of sound at a specified point or in a specified region. Sound particles are not molecules in the physical or chemical sense; they do not have defined physical or chemical properties, or the temperature-dependent kinetic behaviour of ordinary molecules. Sound particles are, then, indefinitely small (small compared to the wavelength of sound) so that their movement truly represents the movement of the medium in their locality. They exist in the mind’s eye to enable this movement to be visualized and described quantitatively. Assuming the medium as a whole to be at rest, sound particles are imagined to vibrate about fixed points.
In the context of particle displacement
Particle displacement
Particle displacement or particle amplitude is a measurement of distance of the movement of a particle from its equilibrium position in a medium as it transmits a wave....
, particle velocity
Particle velocity
Particle velocity is the velocity v of a particle in a medium as it transmits a wave. In many cases this is a longitudinal wave of pressure as with sound, but it can also be a transverse wave as with the vibration of a taut string....
, etc, an imaginary infinitesimal volume of a medium that shares the movement of the medium in response to the presence of sound at a specified point or in a specified region. Sound particles are not molecules in the physical or chemical sense; they do not have defined physical or chemical properties, or the temperature-dependent kinetic behaviour of ordinary molecules. Sound particles are, then, indefinitely small (small compared to the wavelength of sound) so that their movement truly represents the movement of the medium in their locality. They exist in the mind’s eye to enable this movement to be visualized and described quantitatively. Assuming the medium as a whole to be at rest, sound particles are imagined to vibrate about fixed points.