answersLogoWhite

0

The differences between light and sound are as follows:

  • Light can be considered to be made of waves as well as particles. Sound is only a wave. It does not show particle nature.
  • Light waves are electromagnetic waves while sound waves are mechanical waves.
  • Light waves are transverse while sound waves are longitudinal.
  • Light waves can travel in vacuum. Sound waves require a material medium to travel, and hence, cannot travel in vacuum.
  • The speed of light in a medium is constant. The velocity of sound waves can change.
  • In sound waves, the particles of the medium actually oscillate. In a light wave, the electric and magnetic vectors oscillate.
  • Light waves can be polarized, but sound waves cannot.
  • Light waves travel much faster than sound waves. The speed of light is a physical constant. Its value is exactly 299,792,458 metres per second in vacuuum. The speed of sound is 343 metres per second in dry air at 20°C.
  • And finally, a simple one - you can see light while you can hear sound.
User Avatar

Wiki User

9y ago

What else can I help you with?

Continue Learning about Physics

What is the difference between the speed of light and the speed of sound?

The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. Light travels at approximately 186,282 miles per second in a vacuum, while sound travels at about 1,125 feet per second in air.


What is the difference between light and sound?

Light and sound are both forms of energy, but they travel in different ways. Light travels in straight lines as electromagnetic waves, while sound travels as mechanical waves through a medium like air or water. Light can travel through a vacuum, but sound needs a medium to propagate. Additionally, light travels much faster than sound, with a speed of about 186,282 miles per second in a vacuum, while sound travels at a speed of about 1,125 feet per second in air.


The difference between pitch and volume?

Pitch refers to how high or low a sound is, determined by the frequency of the sound waves. Volume, on the other hand, refers to how loud or soft a sound is, determined by the amplitude of the sound waves.


Does light affect sound?

In general, light does not affect sound. Sound waves and light waves are different forms of energy that usually do not influence each other directly. However, extreme cases like laser-induced sound or photoacoustic effects can show interactions between light and sound.


When a Cannon fires at a great distance from you why do you see the flash before you hear the sound?

Light travels much faster than sound, so the flash of light from the cannon reaches your eyes almost instantly while the sound takes time to travel through the air to reach your ears. This difference in speed causes the delay between seeing the flash and hearing the sound.

Related Questions

What is the difference between light band sound?

Easy. Light is a wave you can see, sound is a wave you can hear. B.T.W. light travels 186000 miles per second, and sound at 678.2.


What accounts for the time difference between seeing and hearing a fireworks display.?

The time difference is due to the differences in the speed of light and sound. Light travels near 300,000,000 meters/second where sound travels 343 meters/second. Light travels almost one million times faster than sound therefore it reaches you first.


What is the difference between digital sound and digitized sound?

what is the difference between digital sound and digitized sound


What is the difference between the sound of parakeets and canaries?

what is the difference between the sound of canaries and parakeets


What is the difference between sound and visiblle light in transmission?

Sound will propagate through any matter, but not a vacuum, light will propagate through a vacuum, but only through transparent matter.


What is the Difference between the thunderstorms and lightning?

Lightning is light energy, or electromagnetic energy. And thunder is sound energy.


What is the difference between reflection of the light and reaction?

reflection means the throwing back by a body or surface of light, heat, or sound without absorbing it.


During a thunderstorm you see the lightning followed by the sound of the thunder What causes the delay between the light and the sound?

The delay between the lightning and the sound of thunder is due to the difference in speed between light and sound. Light travels much faster than sound, so we see the lightning first before hearing the thunder. By counting the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, you can estimate how far away the lightning struck.


What is the difference between the speed of light and the speed of sound?

The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. Light travels at approximately 186,282 miles per second in a vacuum, while sound travels at about 1,125 feet per second in air.


What is the difference between a sound and a sound wave?

you figure it out


What causes the delay between the lightning and the sound?

The delay is caused by the difference in speed between light and sound. Light travels much faster than sound, so we see the lightning before we hear the thunder. Sound travels through the air at a slower speed, so it takes longer to reach our ears.


What is the difference between light and medium guitar strings?

The difference between light and medium guitar strings is the thickness or gauge of the strings. Light strings are thinner and easier to play, while medium strings are thicker and produce a fuller sound but can be harder to play for some people.