Air transmits sound efficiently because adjacent air cells are impedance matched

Evidence

If there are no surfaces or reflections of any sort, the specific acoustical impedance is an intrinsic property of the medium, given by the product of the density of the medium ρ0 and the speed of sound in it c; z = ρ0c. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 102 (#expands, via linked claim)

So far we have only considered sound in isolation, and we have seen that sound has velocity, frequency and wavelength and reduces in intensity in proportion to the square of the distance from the source. However, sound also interacts with physical objects and other sound waves and is affected by changes in the propagating medium. — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 322 (#expands, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Directly exposing inner ear fluid to air would reflect 99.9% of sound energy; The middle ear functions as an impedance transformer matching air to fluid; Sound pressure and intensity relate through air impedance of roughly 415 rayls (+4 more)

Broader Connections

• A medium’s intrinsic acoustic impedance equals density times sound speed #expands (0.85) — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 102
• Sound pressure and intensity relate through air impedance of roughly 415 rayls #expands (0.80)
• Sound propagation depends on interactions with objects and the medium #expands (0.75) — David M. Howard, Jamie Angus, Acoustics and Psychoacoustics, 322