Sound waves are inconsistent and affected by temperature and density. Underwater, sound travels faster but requires more energy. Sound cannot exist in space, and the largest recorded sound was from the Krakatoa eruption. The crack of a whip is breaking the sound barrier.
The speed of light is a constant, always traveling at 186,000 miles (300,000 km) per second. The speed of sound, on the other hand, is much more fickle. For example, sound waves move at 761.2 miles per hour (1,225 km/h) at sea level when the air temperature is 59 degrees F (15 degrees C). However, they warm the air and move faster; they cool the air and slow down. That’s why breaking the sound barrier high in the sky is relatively easy: The temperatures are colder, so a slower speed will do the job. Interestingly, sound moves very quickly underwater, where the molecules are much denser than they are in air. Their density means they collide faster, which is how sound travels. Sound travels through water at about 4,856 feet per second (1,480 meters/sec), more than four times faster than its speed in air. But since the molecules are denser in water, sound needs more energy (ie volume) – to move. That’s why soft sounds can’t be heard underwater like they can be above it.
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Sound doesn’t exist in space because there are no molecules to travel through.
The largest sound ever recorded was the eruption of the Krakatoa volcano in 1883. The explosion could be heard 3,000 miles (4,828 km) away.
The crack of a whip is the sound of the tip breaking the sound barrier.
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