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Under normal circumstances, no.

The speed of light in a vacuum is roughly 300,000,000 meters/second, while the speed of sound through air is 340 meters/second.

However light does not travel 3x109 m/s inside a medium, and recent experiments have shown there are ways to slow light down to a crawl. In such a medium, usually a crystal structure, sound could indeed travel faster than light.

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14y ago
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4mo ago

Yes, light travels faster than sound. Light travels at a speed of about 186,000 miles per second in a vacuum, while sound travels at approximately 1,125 feet per second in air. This is why we see lightning before we hear thunder during a storm.

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15y ago

Yes, Light travels faster than sound.

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Q: Can light travel faster than sound?
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Continue Learning about Earth Science

Why you see light first then sound after?

Light travels faster than sound, so when an event occurs, the light reaches our eyes first followed by the sound reaching our ears. This difference in speed creates the perceived delay between seeing the event and hearing it.


Why was light from the rocket seen before the sound of rocket was heard?

Light travels faster than sound, so when you see the light from a rocket, it reaches your eyes faster than the sound reaching your ears, causing a delay in hearing the sound after seeing the light.


Is electricity faster than sound?

Yes. In air, sound travels at about 300 or 330 meters/second (it varies, depending on the temperature - also, sound in water or steel, for example, is quite a bit faster). But an electrical signal can go at about 2/3 the speed of light in a vacuum - that would be about 200,000 kilometers/second.


Why is thunder heard after the lightning is seen?

Thunder is heard after lightning because light travels faster than sound. When lightning occurs, it heats the surrounding air quickly, causing it to expand rapidly. This rapid expansion creates shock waves that we hear as thunder, but it takes longer for sound to travel through the air to reach our ears compared to light.


Does light travel faster than sound?

Yes, light travels much faster than sound. Light travels at a speed of about 186,000 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second) in a vacuum, whereas sound travels at about 1,125 feet per second (343 meters per second) in air. This is why we see lightning before we hear the accompanying thunder.

Related questions

Does sound or light travel faster through water?

Light travels much faster than sound, through wood.


Does ultrasound travel faster than light?

Just to give some clarity, ultrasound doesn't travel faster than sound. It simply resonates at a higher frequency than normal sound. Sound in a lighter atmosphere, or light travels faster than ultrasound.


What travels faster than light waves and sound waves?

Nothing within the known laws of physics can travel faster than light in a vacuum. However, certain theoretical particles known as tachyons are hypothesized to travel faster than light. Additionally, gravitational waves can also travel at the speed of light.


Do sound waves or light waves travel faster?

Light waves travel faster than sound waves. The speed of light in a vacuum is about 186,282 miles per second, whereas the speed of sound in air is about 767 miles per hour.


What waves travel faster sound or light?

Light waves travel faster than sound waves.


Is there a tiny particle that can faster than the speed of light and sound?

No known particles can travel faster than the speed of light in a vacuum, according to the theory of special relativity. In a medium like water, particles such as neutrinos can travel faster than the speed of light in that medium, but not in a vacuum. In solids, sound waves can propagate faster than light as well.


Do xrays travel at the speed of sound?

No, X-rays do not travel at the speed of sound. X-rays are a form of electromagnetic radiation that travel at the speed of light, which is much faster than the speed of sound.


Can airplanes travel faster than sound?

NO they can not travel faster than sound in thunder and lightning


Which travel faster in coated glass pipe sound or light?

No matter what you do to either of them, light is always going to travel at least several hundred times as fast as sound, and most generally about 800 thousand times as fast as sound. Sound will never travel faster than light, in any situation.


Do LIGHT WAVES TRAVEL FASTER THAN SOUND WAVES.?

Yes, light waves travel faster than sound waves. Light waves travel at a speed of approximately 186,282 miles per second (299,792 kilometers per second) in a vacuum, while sound waves travel at speeds ranging from around 767 mph (1,225 km/h) in air.


Why do radio waves travel faster than the sound wave?

Radio waves are just low frequency light waves. They travel at the speed of light, much faster than sound waves which are just changes in pressure traveling in waves


Can echoes travel faster than light?

No. Nothing can travel faster than light.