How do sound waves propagate through a vacuum?

Sound waves propagate through a vacuum by requiring a medium to travel. Sound is a mechanical wave, which means it needs particles to transmit energy from one location to another. In a vacuum, there are no particles present; thus, sound waves cannot carry their energy and do not propagate. This is fundamentally different from electromagnetic waves, like light, which can travel through a vacuum since they do not rely on a medium for their transmission.

The option regarding the speed of sound waves in a vacuum is misleading because it implies that sound could travel, albeit slowly, which is not the case; sound simply cannot propagate at all without a medium. Therefore, stating that sound waves cannot propagate in a vacuum accurately reflects the fundamental properties of sound as mechanical waves.