Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2015 14:47:52 GMT
On National Holidays I like to pause and reflect on the speed of radio as compared to the speed of sound.
It might be more interesting to me than it would be to a physicist because I know so little about it and am free to use imagination, un-encumbered by scientific knowledge.
Of course I have some knowledge, like thinking that radio waves travel at the speed of light even though they are not visible, and that sound travels much slower moving in the atmosphere (air) probably slowing down more when it encounters heavy pollution from coal plants.
The best example showing the difference between the two speeds is lightning and thunder. If it happens close by you see and hear lightning and thunder at what seems like the same time, but if you then move a mile away and repeat the lightning & thunder, you see lightning at what seems like the present, but wonder what happened to the thunder until you start to forget about it which is when it arrives.
So let's ask whether there can be sound in outer space? I sincerely doubt it, because there's no air to carry the sound waves. "Can you hear me now?" "No." "Now?" "No." "If you can't hear me, then why are you answering?"
I have more to say on the subject and several planned experiments. Enjoy the meat (it's Thanksgiving).
It might be more interesting to me than it would be to a physicist because I know so little about it and am free to use imagination, un-encumbered by scientific knowledge.
Of course I have some knowledge, like thinking that radio waves travel at the speed of light even though they are not visible, and that sound travels much slower moving in the atmosphere (air) probably slowing down more when it encounters heavy pollution from coal plants.
The best example showing the difference between the two speeds is lightning and thunder. If it happens close by you see and hear lightning and thunder at what seems like the same time, but if you then move a mile away and repeat the lightning & thunder, you see lightning at what seems like the present, but wonder what happened to the thunder until you start to forget about it which is when it arrives.
So let's ask whether there can be sound in outer space? I sincerely doubt it, because there's no air to carry the sound waves. "Can you hear me now?" "No." "Now?" "No." "If you can't hear me, then why are you answering?"
I have more to say on the subject and several planned experiments. Enjoy the meat (it's Thanksgiving).
