What stops sound from travelling?

Question

Like if a clap my hands, why does the sound stop, is it molecules or particles blocking the sound waves?

In: 11

Answer 1

The energy in a wave gets transferred to whatever the wave is travelling through, and dissipates as heat. The amplitude of the wave also drops as it gets further away from the source. Eventually the amplitude drops far enough that it’s less than the random “background” energy that’s already affecting the environment, and at that point the wave is essentially gone.