Final answer:
The sound waves produced by a 256 hertz tuning fork are considered audible waves since they fall within the human hearing range of 20 to 20,000 Hz.
Step-by-step explanation:
The sound waves produced by an oscillating tuning fork with a frequency of 256 hertz are best described as audible waves. Human hearing is capable of detecting sound frequencies in the range of 20 to 20,000 Hz, and since 256 Hz falls within this range, it is a frequency that people can hear. Phrases like ultrasonic waves correspond to frequencies higher than 20,000 Hz and are used in applications like medical imaging, while infrasonic waves refer to frequencies below 20 Hz. Radio waves are a completely different type of electromagnetic wave and unrelated to sound waves.