Compare and contrast light and sound waves?

Answer 1

Comparison:

• Both light waves and sound waves are a method of energy transfer.
• Both types of waves change their speed when traveling through various media.

Contrast:

• Light waves are electromagnetic waves, and do not require a medium (matter) in order to travel. Sound waves MUST have a medium in order to travel
• The speed of a light wave is faster than the speed of a sound wave.
• Light waves are transverse waves. Sound waves are longitudinal waves.

Answer 2

Sound waves are acoustic in nature, and may only propagate through matter, as sounds is the impact of atoms against other atoms.

Electromagnetic waves propagate through any medium or vacuum.

The distance either can travel through a medium is based on their relative energy levels, i.e. kinetic energy or frequency for each respectively.

Both propagate as wavefunctions, i.e. sinusoidal.

Answer 3

Light is one part of the range of electromagnetic radiation, which travels at 300,000 Km/sec in a vacuum, it needs no medium to travel in. In contrast sound is a pressure vibration which travels in a medium such as air or other gases, liquids and solids, at a velocity dependent on the medium itself.

Answer 4

Light waves can pass through even vacuum while sound waves cannot pass through free space, they require a material medium to propagate . Velocity of light waves in free space = 3x10^8 n m/s and velocity of sound waves in air at NTP= 332 m/s. Light waves are transverse EM waves while sound waves are the longitudinal waves in air.

Answer 5

Sound waves and Light waves comparison: 1)Light waves are transverse EM waves while sound waves are the longitudinal waves in air. 2)Light waves can pass through even vacuum while sound waves cannot pass through free space, they always require a material medium essential for them to propagate . 3)Velocity of light waves in free space = 3x10^8 n m/s and velocity of sound waves in air at NTP= 332 m/s.

Answer 6

Light waves and sound waves differ in many ways one of them being speed. I am going to summarize it in points:-

• The speed of sound waves in air is almost 360m/s while that of light is 299,792,468m/s. The speed of sound is max in solids.
• Sound waves are mostly longitudinal. Very few are transversal. Light waves are always transversal.
• Sound waves are mechanical while light waves are electromagnetic i.e. they have an electric field and an magnetic field in the direction mutually perpendicular to each other.

Answer 7

Light waves are part of the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum

Light waves and em waves are transverse, can travel in a vacuum and do so at the same speed (3.0 * 10^8)

Sound wave are longitudinal and can not travel in a vacuum

Answer 8

Light waves can pass through even vacuum while sound waves cannot pass through free space . light waves are transverse EM waves while sound waves are the longitudinal waves in air.