Post by Admin on Nov 3, 2023 3:31:02 GMT
The Speed of Sound versus the Speed of Light.
Both are incredibly fast; however, Light is so much faster that it is almost incomprehensible.
From the internet: "The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound in air. If you want to compare, the speed of sound in air is ~ 343 m/s and the speed of light is 3x10^10 m/s. In other words, light travels 186 thousand miles in 1 second, while sound takes almost 5 seconds to travel 1 mile."
So, sound travels at 343 meters/second while light travels at 30,000,000,000 meters/second - or without comas it's 30000000000 meters per second - compared to slow sound which is only 343 meters per second. For us Americans, Light travels at 186,000 miles per second. Sound travels, in comparison, at a mere 761 miles per hour.
We can evaluate and think about how much faster light is in real life experiences. One example is Lightning and Thunder. When Lightning strikes both the Light from it and the Sound (Thunder) from it occur at the same exact time, and place, when it strikes. We can look into the distance and see the Lightning strike, and keep in mind the Thunder occurs there in the distance at the same time & same location, but we hear the Thunder from it many seconds later. To summarize -> Lightning Strikes and Thunder occurs around it at the same point in space and time; however, we hear the Thunder from it many seconds, much, later. Proving the sound (Thunder) travels much much much slower than the light (The Lightning we first see).
Another example of where we can evaluate this is when Airplanes fly across our head(s). We look up in the sky where we think the Airplane is at, but the Airplane isn't there - the Plane is much further down the line than where we thought we heard it at. You look up and see an Airplane flying across the sky, very high up, but you hear the sound(s) from it farther back behind it.
Michael Piziak, BS, MA