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nog642 t1_j4unp9g wrote

Sound energy either stays in the medium (the boundary with space basically reflecting the sound back), or becomes kinetic energy of the molecules of the medium that are flung into space (and are just moving at a constant speed, not vibrating, so it can't really be called sound anymore). You'd get the former if the medium is a solid, the latter if the medium is air that is escaping into space.

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