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

As we know sound waves are longitudinal waves and travel through compression and rarefactions in the medium on the other hand light waves are transverse in nature and do not require medium to travel.

Both sound and light waves follow the law of reflection, refraction, and interference of waves. Therefore option 2 is correct. Get Started for Free Download App. More Polarization Questions Q1. An unpolarised beam of light of intensity I0 is incident on one of the polaroids. Which one of the following optical phenomena gives evidence that light waves are transverse? A tube of length 20 cm containing sugar solution rotates the plane of polarization by If the specific rotation of sugar is , the strength of the sugar solution is:.

A monochromatic light beam is incident on a set of two polaroids, a polariser A and an analyser B. Then, the analyser B is adjusted and set to maximum transmitted intensity. In order to bloack the monochromatic light completely with the help of polaroids, the angle between their transmission axes should be:.

Which of the following phenomena CANNOT convert ordinary, unpolarised light to a partially polarised or plane polarised light?

A sugar solution in a tube of length 2. Then, the sugar solution to one half of its initial concentration. These generate from charged particles of the medium.

Sound waves exist as longitudinal waves. These waves travel through with the help of different mediums such as air and water. The travel speed of these waves is faster through water than through air.

While talking about sound, we put our focus on how loud it is, that is, its amplitude , frequency, and intensity. According to physics, sound is a vibration that propagates a wave, and this wave transmits through mediums like gas, liquid or solid.

Sound waves travel faster in the solid states, such as through iron, steel, and stone. In the air, metres per second is the travel speed of the sound waves. Sound waves can be divided into two categories — compression and rarefaction. In compression molecules of sound waves are compressed together.

And on the other hand, in rarefaction, the sound wave molecules are not compressed together, instead, they stay apart. Sound waves are called mechanical waves. Sound waves travel through air and water effortlessly, but they are incapable of travelling through a vacuum. Sound waves need a medium to travel.

And a vacuum is the condition where no air is available. It has no matter. So in a vacuum, the sound will not be eligible to travel. This is the reason for which the astronauts are not able to hear each other or talk to each other in space without the help of a radio.

Although both are waves, light exhibits particle nature too. Speed of light in air and empty space is a fundamental constant, whereas speed of sound depends heavily on the properties of the medium. The denser the medium, the greater is the speed of sound.

The opposite is true for light. Sound consists of longitudinal waves whereas light consists of transverse waves which give light the ability to be polarized. Scientists have achieved the speed of sound, but still they are unable to go past the speed of light. Your email address will not be published. Coming from Engineering cum Human Resource Development background, has over 10 years experience in content developmet and management. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.

In brief: Light vs. Sound — Sound is only a wave, whereas light exhibits both wave and particle properties.