Question

what eventually happens to a sound wave traveling through the air?
multiple choice
condensation and rarefactions are dampened, but are
emembered\ by air molecules.
its energy becomes dispersed as random molecular motion.
it travels on forever, but with increasingly less amplitude.

Explanation:

Sound waves transfer energy as they travel. In air, due to interactions with air molecules (such as collisions), the organized energy of the sound wave (related to its coherent vibration) gets converted into random molecular motion (thermal energy). Condensation and rarefactions (features of sound waves) don't get'remembered' in a meaningful way as the wave dissipates. Also, sound waves don't travel forever - they lose energy over time and don't just have decreasing amplitude indefinitely without losing energy in other forms (like becoming random molecular motion).

Answer:

Its energy becomes dispersed as random molecular motion.