our text book says that there are 5 layers of atmosphere viz, troposphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, thermosphere or ionosphere and exosphere. they say that air is very rare in stratophere and they also say that ionosphere is a radio layer (remember: ionosphere is higher than the stratosphere.) sound needs air to travel and there is no air in the stratosphere. how could it reach the ionosphere and be reflected back?
2007-09-02 17:42:46 · 4 answers · asked by SIMONE 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Earth Sciences & Geology
You're right in saying that sound needs air through which to propogate. However, radio waves don't. Remember, radio waves are just part of the electromagnetic spectrum which also includes light.
2007-09-02 17:47:59 · answer #1 · answered by Chug-a-Lug 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You're working on two fallacies.
1. "there is no air in the stratosphere"
There is air there, it's just thinner.
Jet aircraft
have flown well into the stratosphere.
The ionosphere gets its name from the fact
that the AIR there is highly ionized.
2. Radio is part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
It's like light, and doesn't need air to be transmitted.
Radio astronomy sees objects in deep space,
(Where there really is no air, almost no gas at all).
2007-09-03 17:01:31 · answer #2 · answered by Irv S 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Radio waves have nothing to do with sound. Radio waves are electromagnetic and propagate through empty space.
2007-09-03 00:52:18 · answer #3 · answered by I don't think so 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well, radio layer refers to the spectrum of elecrtomagnetic frequency not sound..... this is a common mistake, but radio waves travel via photons.... not air
2007-09-03 00:51:23 · answer #4 · answered by darkdemonkelzad666 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋