Sound propagation can be modeled as coupled masses and springs

Evidence

Consider the simple mechanical model of the propagation of sound through some physical medium, shown in Figure 1.1. This shows a simple one-dimensional model of a physical medium, such as air, which we call the golf ball and spring model because it consists of a series of masses, e.g., golf balls, connected together by springs. The golf balls represent the point masses of the molecules in a real material, and the springs represent the intermolecu­ lar forces between them. If the golf ball at the end is pushed toward the others then the spring linking it to the next golf ball will be compressed and will push at the next golf ball in the line, which will compress the next spring, and so on. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 25

Categorization

• DEFINE: Introduces the golf-ball-and-spring conceptual model that runs throughout sound theory.
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 25
• XREF: connects to: Cochlear hydromechanics can be approximated by one-dimensional lumped sections.; Sound is alternating pressure condensations and rarefactions; A medium’s intrinsic acoustic impedance equals density times sound speed — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 102 (+6 more)