I guess echo location wouldn't work in space then right?
2007-09-26 09:34:32 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Astronomy & Space
Yes to both.
2007-09-26 09:41:28 · answer #1 · answered by Randy G 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Sound waves are not the same as radio waves. Sound waves are air pressure waves and radio waves are electromagnetic radiation waves. This is why the speed of sound is much, much smaller than the speed of light. Sound waves also need a medium to propagate, such as water or air. Radio waves don't need a medium. Sound can not travel in a vaccuum (such as space) and travels at different speeds depending on the medium. Since the two are fundamentally different, there is no interference between the two...radio waves will not be interfered with by sound pressure. Radar uses EM waves that bounce off an object and return to the detector. The time difference (between sending and receiving) determines the speed of an object. A radar detector simply senses the radar/radio wave and alerts the driver with a sound.
2016-05-19 02:23:09 · answer #2 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
That's exactly right.
No, echo location doesn't work in space - the pressure waves would have to be carried by air. Radio telescopes are used to track emissions from space as photons can carry waves (the whole notion of photons as wave-like and yet also particle like is a complicate issue) across the void of space.
2007-09-26 09:42:25 · answer #3 · answered by Leviathan 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes, exactly.
Radio waves to travel in the vacuum of space, so radar works in space.
Sound does not travel in a vacuum, so sonar or other echo location based on sound would not work in space.
2007-09-26 10:10:22 · answer #4 · answered by campbelp2002 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Radar waves are electromagnetic. Radar waves are very similar to sound waves except for the medium. Here are two good links for understanding some basic concepts:
Doppler Red Shift: http://www.a2dvoices.com/realitycheck/doppler
Basic Radar Calculator: http://www.a2dvoices.com/realitycheck/radar
Hope that helps!
2007-09-27 14:17:33 · answer #5 · answered by M D 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes, but echo location uses sound waves which can only be carried by particles such as water and air
space is empty and has no particles
2007-09-26 13:55:13 · answer #6 · answered by filldwth? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yup. That's it exactly. And no, echo location wouldn't work at all in space.
Doug
2007-09-26 10:26:01 · answer #7 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes.
2007-09-30 05:24:20 · answer #8 · answered by johnandeileen2000 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋