How do sound waves travel through air?

Sound waves travel through air as vibrations of air molecules. When an object vibrates, it creates compressions and rarefactions in the surrounding air. The areas where the air molecules are pushed together are called compressions, and the areas where they are spread apart are called rarefactions. These vibrations then travel through the air, allowing the sound to be transmitted from its source to our ears.

This process relies on the physical properties of air and how molecules collide with one another to propagate the sound energy. In contrast, options such as waves of light or magnetic waves pertain to different types of energy transmission that do not involve the mechanical vibrations of particles within a medium. Electrical signals refer to the flow of electrical charge and are not relevant in the context of mechanical waves like sound. Thus, the correct understanding of sound wave propagation is that it occurs through the vibration of air molecules.