Why Do Astronauts Not Hear Fireworks in Space?
If you went to a fireworks show in Atlanta you would see the fireworks explode before you heard them go BOOM. However, if astronauts are watching the same fireworks show from space, they would see them explode, but never hear them go BOOM. But why is this true?
Explanation:
The reason astronauts do not hear the fireworks in space is that sound waves travel slower than light waves and they cannot travel through a vacuum. Sound waves are a form of energy transmission method that uses adiabatic loading and unloading to move across a material. Acoustic pressure, particle velocity, particle displacement, and acoustic intensity are all important parameters for defining acoustic waves. Acoustic waves have a particular acoustic velocity that relies on the medium through which they move. Acoustic waves include audible sound from a speaker (waves that travel at the speed of sound through air), seismic waves (ground vibrations that travel through the earth), and ultrasound used for medical imaging (waves that travel through the body). Sound waves cannot travel through a vacuum.
O Sound waves travel too slowly through a vacuum for the astronauts to hear them.
O Sound waves travel faster than light waves, but they cannot travel through a vacuum.
O Sound waves travel slower than light waves and they cannot travel through a vacuum.
O Sound and light waves cannot travel through a vacuum.
If you went to a fireworks show in Atlanta you would see the fireworks explode before you heard them go BOOM. However, if astronauts are watching the same fireworks show from space, they would see them explode, but never hear them because sound waves travel slower than light waves and they cannot travel through a vacuum. Hence, option C is correct.