Sound is produced by vibration and requires a medium like air, water or solid material to propagate. When a vibrating source produces sound waves, the medium's particles vibrate in compressions and rarefactions that transfer energy as the wave moves. Characteristics of waves include amplitude, wavelength, frequency and velocity. The human range of hearing is 20-20,000 Hz but ultrasound above 20 kHz and infrasound below 20 Hz also exist and have applications like echolocation and earthquake detection.