Here's how it works:
* Vibrations: When an object vibrates, it rapidly moves back and forth.
* Compression: As the object moves forward, it pushes the air molecules in front of it closer together, creating an area of high pressure called a compression.
* Rarefaction: As the object moves backward, it leaves a space behind where the air molecules are spread farther apart, creating an area of low pressure called a rarefaction.
* Sound Waves: These compressions and rarefactions travel through the air as sound waves.
So, the air molecules themselves aren't being squashed permanently, but they are momentarily compressed and then expanded as the sound wave passes through them.
