Sound waves travel faster through solids and liquids than through air, with speeds of up to 3.7 miles per second in steel and 0.93 miles per second in seawater. Sound travels slower in air, at about 0.21 miles per second.
Sound waves can travel faster through solids than through air, in some cases more than 17 times faster. In a solid, sound waves can be more compact than in air because there is less space between the molecules. Sound waves can travel through steel at 3.7 miles (5.96 km) per second. After solids, sound waves can travel faster through liquids. For example, sound waves travel through seawater at a speed of approximately 0.93 miles (1.5 km) per second. Sound travels more slowly in air, about 0.21 miles (0.33 km) in one second.
More about sound:
For every 7.2° Fahrenheit or 4° Celsius increase in seawater temperature, sound waves are able to travel 13 feet (4 m) faster per second.
The first airplane flight to break the sound barrier, meaning travel faster than sound, was in 1947 by test pilot Chuck Yeager.
Lightning and thunder are produced at the same time, but light travels about 1 million times faster than sound, so thunder is not heard until lightning appears.
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