Speed of Light vs. Sound: What Would Change?

In summary: Light travels at 299,792.458 m/s or 186,282 miles per second. Sound travels at about 343 m/s or 1,130 miles per second. If the speed of light were to decrease to the same speed as sound, there would be a delay between what we see and what we hear.
  • #1
expscv
241
0
if. the speed of light has the same velocity as sound?
wat would happen? compare to now?
 
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  • #2
Sound is the change in pressure of a gas. A gas consists of particles with mass. They couldn't travel at the speed of light, but if they could travel close to it, they would have a very large energy. And the effect of a sound wave would be a bit like someone sandblasting your face.
 
  • #3
oh? cool thanks

btw i was asking (sorry for not state clearly)


if the light reuce its speed to somewhere like 331 m/s (same for sound in air) wat would happen then
 
  • #4
AntiMagicMan... I was thinking of it the other way round but your answer was interesting.
to answer the question as I see it to be written, there would be a delay involved between viewing objects, and events happening. When we hear sounds in the distance, we can often notice the events happening with our eyes before the sound reaches us, due to the difference between the speed of sound and the speed of light (a football being kicked in the distance, a lightning flash followed by thunder etc.). If light were to travel as slowly as sound, this same delay would be evident when viewing objects , but I don't believe it would be noticeable to a human observer as 330 m/s is still pretty quick. If you drop it too 3 m/s however, that would be pretty spacey.. moving objects could move towards you and reach you before the light did, which I guess would also cause the light to be re-absorbed by the moving object making it very difficult to cross a road safely :-)

In the case o flilght moving at 330 m/s howveer, i think it would be just like when we view stars, in that our information could be years old by the time the light hits us, but it doesn't 'look' peculiar, its just that we 'know' its old because we know how far away the stars are.

I'd be interested to hear peoples opinions on how it effected relativity in the real world...
Martin
 

What is the speed of light and sound?

The speed of light is approximately 299,792,458 meters per second in a vacuum. The speed of sound varies depending on the medium it is traveling through, but in dry air at sea level, it is approximately 343 meters per second.

Why is the speed of light faster than the speed of sound?

The speed of light is faster than the speed of sound because light travels through a vacuum, which has no particles to slow it down. Sound, on the other hand, travels through a medium such as air, which contains particles that cause friction and slow down the speed of sound.

How does the speed of light and sound affect our perception of events?

Since light travels faster than sound, we often see events before we hear them. This is especially noticeable during thunderstorms, where we see the lightning before we hear the thunder. The difference in speed also affects how we experience events, such as a delayed echo when shouting in a large open space.

What factors can affect the speed of light and sound?

The speed of light is considered constant in a vacuum, but it can be slowed down when traveling through materials such as water or glass. The speed of sound can also be affected by the medium it is traveling through, as well as temperature, humidity, and altitude.

How do scientists measure the speed of light and sound?

The speed of light is typically measured using devices such as lasers, while the speed of sound is measured using specialized equipment such as a sonic anemometer. Scientists also use mathematical equations and experiments to calculate and verify the speed of light and sound.

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