2007-02-25 06:17:53 · 16 answers · asked by love_fool 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
The speed of sound is a term used to describe the speed of sound waves passing through an elastic medium. The speed varies with the medium employed (for example, sound waves move faster through water than through air), as well as with the properties of the medium, especially temperature. The term is commonly used to refer specifically to the speed of sound in air. At sea level, at a temperature of 21 °C (70 °F) and under normal atmospheric conditions, the speed of sound is 344 m/s (770 mph or 1238 km/h).
In metric units, c is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second (1,079,252,848.8 km/h). Note that this speed is a definition, not a measurement. Since the fundamental SI unit of length, the metre, has been defined since October 21, 1983 in terms of the speed of light; one metre is the distance light travels in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Converted to imperial units, the speed of light is approximately 186,282.397 miles per second, or 670,616,629.384 miles per hour, or almost one foot per nanosecond.
2007-02-25 06:22:26 · answer #1 · answered by DJYakobian 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light is considered the top speed in the universe (right now nothing is faster than it but maybe something will in the future) and sound speed is just a speed that current human technologies can exceed it.
2007-02-25 14:42:04 · answer #2 · answered by The One 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Both light and sound travel in different things at different speeds. For light we call the ratio of the speed in a vacuum to the speed in the medium "the refractive index" and it depends on the light's frequency (and intensity for non-linear optics) and the composition of the medium. Almost always "the speed of light" means in a vacuum (and a flat space-time geodesic).
Speed of sound is the speed the compression waves travel at in an elastic medium. again the speed depends on the sounds frequency (and maybe intensity) and the composition of the medium. Sound waves are density waves: areas of increasing and decreasing density/pressure/energy of a medium. Light waves are not a property of their medium and their wave like nature is much more abstract.So, when we ask what waves in a wave? we answer in a sound wave the pressure/density of the material increases and decreases as the waves travel thru it. But we answer: in a light wave the probability goes up and down as it travels thru the medium. which opens a whole 'nother can of worms. What pray tell do we mean by probability? Uh-uh don't go there honey!
2007-02-25 14:38:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound.
2007-02-25 14:25:37 · answer #4 · answered by kittenbrower 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light is 299,792,458 meters per second. Or, normally abbreviated to 3x10^8 m/s. The speed of sound is normally abbreviated with the constant c.
The speed of sound is 331.5 meters per second.
Light is 904351 times faster than sound.
Check out the cool picture on the link below showing how long it takes light to get from the moon to the Earth.
2007-02-25 14:23:05 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
the speed of light is the speed at which light travels and the speed of sound is the speed at which sound travels. It takes light one year to travel a light year.
2007-02-25 14:21:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Speed of light is approximately 186,282 miles per second The speed of Light is about 1087ft per second.
Enterprise could manage about warp 10 at a push (10 x light speed)!! with Scotty doing his thing! Concord could manage about Mach 1.5 (1.5 times sound speed)!!
2007-02-25 14:29:27 · answer #7 · answered by bilbotheman 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
take the speed of light subtract the speed of sound. the result wil be the difference between speed of light and sound. but whats the physwical difference from sound and light? many but both are waves etc etc etc
2007-02-25 14:21:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The speed of light is a lot faster (186,000 miles/second) than the speed of sound (700 mph).
2007-02-25 14:21:34 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Light is an electromagnetic wave which doesn't need material environment to be spread & the speed of spreading all electromagnetic waves is about 3x10^8 m/s.
But sound is a mechanical wave which needs material environment to be spread because every object around the wave source oscillates when the wave meets it and gives its energy to the next object.
so you see sound and light are two different kinds of waves
2007-02-25 14:53:55 · answer #10 · answered by Sina 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋