Differences Between Light And Sound

Last Updated on March 19, 2022 by QCity Editorial Stuff

Sound and light are two types of energy that we experience every day. We use them for entertainment, to see in the dark, and even sometimes to communicate with each other. While the sound is an example of a longitudinal wave, which means that it vibrates along its direction of motion; light is an example of a transverse wave because it has vibrations perpendicular to its direction of motion (1). Sound can travel through solids, liquids, and gases while light cannot (2). This makes the sound more versatile than light because you can put your ear on top of something solid like a wall or ceiling but you cannot put your eye on top since there are no eyes inside walls.

Sound and light are both forms of electromagnetic radiation. They can be produced from a source by the movement of electric charges, such as in an antenna or a laser. Each form is characterized by its wavelength and frequency.

This leads us to some major differences between these two forms of energy: for example, while objects can pass through sound without being affected at all (like how you can walk through water), light waves always affect any object they hit – even if it’s just something as small as dust particles! There are also some things that both light and sound have in common- one being that they’re both capable of traveling faster than anything else known.

Comparison Between Light And Sound

Parameters of ComparisonLightSound
Travel Faster Less than light 
Heard Con not heardCan be heard 
ColorIt has colorDo not have color
Speed More speed Less speed

What Is Light? 

What Is Light

Light is a form of energy that travels in waves. When light hits an object, the object either absorbs or reflects this energy. The color we see depends on which wavelengths are absorbed or reflected by the object. Light behaves differently when it interacts with different objects because every material has its unique properties, such as how much it absorbs and reflects at different frequencies (colors). For example, water tends to absorb more blue light than red light while reflecting green and yellow colors more strongly than other colors making the water appear blue. Soap bubbles have the same property but reflect less strongly making them look white from most angles despite being made up of multiple colors from all over the spectrum. In contrast, some materials like gold tend to absorb all frequencies except for one, so they appear these colors when light shines on them.

Light is defined as an energy that travels in waves and can be seen by the human eye. Light is what allows us to see everything around us, but it’s also responsible for things like sunburns and cataracts. There are many different types of light, including visible light, infrared radiation, microwaves, radio waves, and ultraviolet rays just to name a few. Understanding how these forms of light work will help you better understand the world around you. 

10 Differences Between Light And Sound

Travels: Light travels faster than sound.

Heard: Sound can be heard in space, but not light.

Color: You can see the color of light, but not sound waves.

Made Up: Sound is made up of vibrations that travel through a medium (air), while light is electromagnetic radiation that travels through a vacuum or air.

Speed: The speed at which both types of energy move depends on the type and density of the medium they are traveling through. 

Slower: It’s possible to hear something before you see it because sound moves slower than light.

Cell: The human eye sees color because it has three types of cells that are sensitive to different colors – red, green, and blue.

Waves: Sound waves travel in all directions but the light only travels in one direction. 

Feel: You can’t touch or feel sound but you can touch or feel light.

Reflection: Objects reflect some colors better than others – for example, a mirror reflects white very well but not black.

Interesting Statistics Or Facts Of  Light

1. The light from a candle is about one million times weaker than the sun.

2. Light travels at 186,000 miles per second.

3. A single light bulb can use up to 60 watts of energy.

4. It takes less than a minute for sunlight to reach Earth’s surface.

5. You could be living in an area that has no natural light if you live more than 150 miles from the equator. 

6. If you were to shine a flashlight straight up into the air, it would take about 5 minutes for your beam of light to hit outer space.

Interesting Statistics Or Facts Of Sound

1. The speed of sound is about 760 miles per hour.

2. The loudest animal on earth is the blue whale, which can make a noise that’s louder than 200 decibels.

3. Sound waves are measured in hertz (Hz) and kilohertz (kHz), with one kHz being equal to 1000 Hz.

4. A dog whistle emits a frequency higher than humans can hear, but it will still be heard by dogs.

5. Humans cannot hear anything lower than 20 Hz or higher than 20 kHz. 

6. An octave has 12 semitones between its highest and lowest notes; an octave is also equivalent to 1200 cents.

Conclusion About The Differences Between Light And Sound

sound and light are two very different things. Sound is a vibration that travels through the air or other mediums to create waves in your ear canal, while light is an electromagnetic wave of energy that moves at 186000 miles per second. Both have their properties and ways that they can interact with us as humans, but designers need to know what makes each one unique before using them together.

Sound is the only sense that can be sensed without physical contact. It’s also one of our most powerful senses because it provides information about objects and events through vibrations in the air. An object needs to make a sound for us to know where it is; this helps animals hunt prey or avoid predators. But while humans can hear sound waves, we cannot see them like light waves even though they exist at the same frequency (between 20-20000 Hz). The difference between these two types of energy lies in how they get into your body – sounds go directly into your ears while light penetrates other surfaces before entering your eyes.

References:

Resource 01: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light
Resource 02: http://www.cs.toronto.edu/~gpenn/csc401/soundASR.pdf

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