Why doesn't sound travel as far during the day as it does at night?

✅ Correct.

Your explanation accurately describes why sound does not travel as far during the day.

Here's a more detailed explanation:

During the day, the sun heats the ground, which in turn warms the air directly above it. The air higher up remains cooler.

• Speed of Sound and Temperature: Sound travels faster in warmer air and slower in cooler air.
• Refraction: When sound waves travel from a region where they move faster (warm air near the ground) into a region where they move slower (cooler air above), they undergo refraction. This causes the sound waves to bend.
• Direction of Bending: In this scenario, the sound waves bend upwards, away from the ground. This directs the sound energy into the upper atmosphere rather than along the ground.

Therefore, less sound energy reaches listeners at a distance along the ground, making it harder to hear sounds from far away during the day.