Question

1. which of these wave behaviors is happening to the sound waves when the walls of your room quiet the noisy traffic outside?

attenuation
reflection
absorption
transmission

Explanation:

When sound waves encounter the walls of a room and the noisy traffic outside is quieted, absorption is occurring. Absorption means that the sound energy is taken in (absorbed) by the material of the walls (such as drywall, insulation etc.), rather than being reflected (bounced back), transmitted (passed through easily) or just having general attenuation (which is a more general term for reduction in intensity - absorption is a specific mechanism of attenuation here).

Answer:

absorption