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Sound and light are both waves, but they travel through their surroundings in very different ways.

Unlike light, sound waves cannot travel through what kind of environment?

A vacuum, such as outer space
Sound is a mechanical wave that needs particles, in a gas, liquid, or solid, to bump into each other and carry the vibration along, so with no matter present in a vacuum there is nothing to transmit it. Light, by contrast, is an electromagnetic wave that doesn't need a medium at all, which is why sunlight reaches Earth across the emptiness of space but an explosion in space would be silent.

Sound is a mechanical wave, traveling by making particles bump into their neighbors, whether in air, water, or a solid. A vacuum has no particles at all to carry that vibration, so sound cannot travel there.

Water and solid metal are actual examples of media sound travels through well, often faster than air since their particles are packed tightly — the opposite of a vacuum.

Light, an electromagnetic wave, needs no matter to travel, which is why sunlight crosses empty space to reach Earth while an explosion in space would be silent.

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