Sound waves propagate in a medium as a series of compressions and rarefactions, similar to the way a disturbance moves through a slinky. This creates alternating high and low-pressure regions that move through the medium.
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In the context of a slinky, compressions are the regions where the coils are closer together, and rarefactions are the regions where the coils are further apart.
Air is the most common medium through which sound travels.
A sound wave is created by a series of compressions and rarefactions in the air, caused by the rapid back-and-forth movement of a vibrating object.
When the vibrating object moves backward, it creates a region of low pressure called a rarefaction.