Does sound decrease in volume with the inverse square of the distance like radio?

Answer 1

Yes, but only when you make enough assumptions, which are rarely true. Isotropic source, uniform medium, linear range, and no absorption. Though pressure waves and electromagnetic waves are completely different physical phenomena, the basic inverse square law is a geometric argument. The surface area of a sphere is proportional to the square of the radius.

Answer 2

In a wheat field with no wind, at limited range, yes. If there are echos from hard surfaces, it is more complicated. If the range is miles, the thinning of the upper atmosphere changes the formula. Temperature variations also distort the sound.

Radio waves are also susceptible to atmospheric distortion. The inverse square relationship is only true where there is no interference, like in the vacuum of space.

Answer 3

Sound is a pressure wave and it's motion is dictated by the current settings of the medium, usually air.

Radio waves are light! They do not require any medium to travel in. The electric field will fall of like 1/R and thats why a transmitting antenna is several hundred meters tall while your receiver antenna on your car is like a meter long.

Answer 4

No. Dispersion in gases is frequency, temperature, pressure and chemistry dependent. It is also non-linear for high sound pressures. The details are complicated. But it is nothing like radio waves in any real world applications.

Answer 5

No, and radio waves carry indefinitely, if there are Fm waves.

Answer 6

Yes, they are both energy waves, just of diffrent intensities and frequency.

Answer 7

yeah its called the dopler effect