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Why do sound waves travel slower than other electromagnetic waves?
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Light is a series of particles that move in a tight wave, each particle generally following a straight line through air or a vacuum.
Sound emanates from the source as a circular larger-frequency wave that moves air in it's path (like the wave of a pebble dropped in water). Sound is affected by the air it moves through and the size of the wave is increased the further it travels (over time/distance the sound gets lower).
light is faster than sound becuase...
sound takes longer to reach it's detination.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoYou might as well ask "Why doesn't a child and a cheetah run at the same speed ?"
-- Sound is a mechanical vibration of a material medium, whose speed depends on the
physical characteristics of the medium.
-- Light is propagation of electric and magnetic fields, whose speed depends on the
electrical characteristics of the medium.
Why would you expect them to travel at the same speed ?
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoSound waves are not electromagnetic waves, they are vibrations of air particles thatpropagatethrough the air. Therefore, these waves can only travel as fast as the particles in the air around them allow them to. This is also why sound travels faster in a solid or liquid rather than in a gas as the particles are closer together in a solid, allowing the sound to travel much faster through it.Electromagnetic waves do not travel through this medium and travel at the speed of light (as thats what they are) when in avacuum or in air.
Wiki User
∙ 10y ago-- Each has been independently measured, and the speed of light has been
found to be greater than the speed of sound.
-- When you see an event that produces a sound ... such as a hammer striking steel ...
you see the strike before you hear the clank , because the light from the hammer
reaches you before the sound does, on account of the higher speed of light.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoyes because light waves travel at the speed of 300,000 and sound waves travel 50,000 km per second
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoSlower. Because nothing is faster than light.
Wiki User
∙ 9y agoYes
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Through which material does sound travel slowest?
sound will travel through air (gas), the slowest. Because the molecule sin the air are farther apart. Actually rubber it will travel through rubber the slowest. Air is second slowest then water and then granite was all I learned . Also Saltwater is faster then water becaus e there more salt so air goes through it faster.
Is heat slower than sound?
Heat is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. In a vacumn particles travel at over 299792458 m s^-1. So that is a lot faster than vibrations (Sound Energy)
What objects are difficult for sound to travel through?
sound travels the fastest in solids and slower in liquids and even slower in gases and cannot travel in vacuum..so its most difficult for the sound to travel in gases
Why do you think sound usually travel fastest through solids but light usually travel slowest through solids?
As you know, light is electromagnetic wave. While sound is mechanical wave, Sound requires a medium to travel, and sound offers best condition for it. While light is enegry packates (photons) and solids hinder its path making it slower.
what vcan travel with or without a medium?
Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that can travel through a vacuum, or a space with no air, meaning it does not require a medium to travel through. Other forms of electromagnetic radiation, like radio waves, microwaves, and x-rays, can also travel through a vacuum. Sound, on the other hand, is a form of mechanical wave which requires a medium to travel. This medium can be a solid, liquid, or gas, and is the way sound travels from one place to another. For example, when someone speaks, the sound waves travel through the air and reach our ears. In summary, light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation can travel with or without a medium, while sound requires a medium to travel.
Through which material does sound travel slowest?
sound will travel through air (gas), the slowest. Because the molecule sin the air are farther apart. Actually rubber it will travel through rubber the slowest. Air is second slowest then water and then granite was all I learned . Also Saltwater is faster then water becaus e there more salt so air goes through it faster.
Why is sound not part of the electromagnetic spectrum?
Could it be that the frequency of sound waves are to low?
Is heat slower than sound?
Heat is part of the electromagnetic spectrum. In a vacumn particles travel at over 299792458 m s^-1. So that is a lot faster than vibrations (Sound Energy)
What objects are difficult for sound to travel through?
sound travels the fastest in solids and slower in liquids and even slower in gases and cannot travel in vacuum..so its most difficult for the sound to travel in gases
Will sound travel faster or slower on moon than on earth?
Sound will not travel on the moon because on the moon there is no air, and sound works by vibrating particles next to each other. YES IT WONT TRAVEL AT ALL
Why do you think sound usually travel fastest through solids but light usually travel slowest through solids?
As you know, light is electromagnetic wave. While sound is mechanical wave, Sound requires a medium to travel, and sound offers best condition for it. While light is enegry packates (photons) and solids hinder its path making it slower.
what vcan travel with or without a medium?
Light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that can travel through a vacuum, or a space with no air, meaning it does not require a medium to travel through. Other forms of electromagnetic radiation, like radio waves, microwaves, and x-rays, can also travel through a vacuum. Sound, on the other hand, is a form of mechanical wave which requires a medium to travel. This medium can be a solid, liquid, or gas, and is the way sound travels from one place to another. For example, when someone speaks, the sound waves travel through the air and reach our ears. In summary, light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation can travel with or without a medium, while sound requires a medium to travel.
Is the speed of sound equal to an electromagnetic wave?
No, speed of sound in air is much slower than the speed of light in vacuum.
Why does sound travel slowest through gas than trough other forms of matter?
Sound travels slower through less dense matter because sound is the result of molecules hitting each other. When there are fewer molecules for the vibrating molecules to bump into, sound travels slower.
Does light or sound travel slower?
Sound, in normal air. First lightning then thunder!
Why can electromagnetic waves travel through space and not sound waves?
Sound waves need a physical material to carry them, but electromagnetic waves don't.
How can astronauts communicate with earth if sound does not travel in a vacuum?
Signals are transmitted by some other means - in this case, electromagnetic waves.
