Question

How are sound waves different from electromagnetic waves?

Answer 1

Hint: In order to answer this question, you could recall the characteristics of each of the given waves in the question, that is, the sound waves and electromagnetic waves. You could discuss how they propagate and different properties shown by them. You could also find differences in the requirement of medium for propagation.

Complete Step by step solution:
In the question, we are asked to find how electromagnetic waves and sound waves are different from each other. In order to answer this question, we could understand exactly what these sound waves and electromagnetic waves are.

Electromagnetic waves:
They’re generated as the result of coupling of electric and magnetic fields which are perpendicular to each other and the wave propagation is found to be perpendicular to both. Electromagnetic waves are transverse in nature and their property of polarization is well known. It is found that they also propagate in the absence of a medium. Electromagnetic waves are found to travel with a speed of universal velocity of light in vacuum. They are known to exhibit interference as well as diffraction.

Sound waves:
They are mechanical waves that are known to require a medium for propagation. If you recall the bell jar experiment done in your lower classes, then you may know that they don’t propagate through vacuum. In the case of sound waves, particles are seen to oscillate about their mean positions in the wave's direction of propagation.
So we could conclude that:

In sound waves, particles vibrate in the direction of propagation while particles in EM waves propagate perpendicular to it. The sound waves propagate in the form of compressions and rarefactions and EM waves use crests and troughs.

Note:
You may know that sound waves are an example for mechanical waves and the electromagnetic waves have light waves as an example. Sound waves definitely require a medium for propagation as they propagate with the help of pressure variation. Both of them are seen to exhibit the property of Doppler shift and diffraction.