Which one among the following is not produced by sound waves in air?

Sound waves in air are mechanical longitudinal waves, meaning the particles of the medium vibrate parallel to the direction of wave propagation. Polarization is a phenomenon exclusive to transverse waves, where oscillations occur perpendicular to the direction of travel, such as in light or electromagnetic waves. Because longitudinal waves like sound only oscillate along a single axis (the direction of travel), they cannot be polarized. However, sound waves do exhibit other wave behaviors including reflection (bouncing off surfaces), refraction (bending when changing media), and diffraction (bending around obstacles or through openings) [1]. While seismic P-waves are similar to sound, and S-waves are transverse, sound waves specifically in the air medium lack the transverse component required for polarization [1].

Sources

1. [1] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 2: The Origin and Evolution of the Earth > Earthquake Waves > p. 20