Sound waves are like light and water waves in other ways too. When water waves traveling long distances across the ocean flow around a headland or into a bay, they spread out in circles like ripples. Sound waves do exactly the same thing, which is why we can hear around corners.

Can you see sound waves?

Sound waves are invisible to our eyes; unless we find a way to make the sound waves move something that we can see.

Can sound waves be seen by humans?

Since air is invisible to begin with, there's no way for you to see the air once it starts vibrating. ... The vibrating motion of most sound waves is far faster than your waving hand, and is therefore just a blur to human eyes. The sound waves traveling down a plucked guitar string are not invisible.