Turns out you can transmit sound in a vacuum, just not very far

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Sound waves can’t usually journey by way of vacuums, like house, as a result of there isn’t any medium for them to vibrate throughout. (Picture credit score: Shutterstock)

For the primary time, scientists have proven that sound can journey by way of the vacancy of a vacuum. Nevertheless, the rule-breaking trick requires particular circumstances and might solely be carried out over extraordinarily small distances.

The enduring tagline of the 1979 sci-fi movie “Alien” tells us that “in house nobody can hear you scream.” This was primarily based on the truth that house is a vacuum, a area devoid of any particles. Sound waves journey by vibrating by way of the particles of a medium, akin to air or water, from a supply to a receiver. So in a vacuum, there isn’t any journey medium. (Outer house isn’t really a complete vacuum as a result of it does include small quantities of gasoline, plasma and different particles. However this matter is surrounded by huge swathes of vacancy.)