Can light enegry or waves affects sound waves?

In summary, light can indirectly affect sound by changing the temperature of the particles in the medium. This change in temperature will change the speed of sound through the medium, and could potentially affect the direction of propagation of sound.
  • #1
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is there any relations for light waves to affects sound waves? :biggrin:
 
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  • #2
Light can indirectly affect sound: since sound must travel through a medium (air) made of particles, those particles could absorb energy from light. WHen the particles absorbe energy, the temperature of the medium goes up. THis will increase the speed of sound through the medium. This will in turn change the refractive index of the substance and could cause a change in direction of propagation of the sound.

So since light interacts with matter, and sound must travel through matter, light will affect sound. This effect would be hard to notice under normal atmospheric conditions, but might be significant under some experimental procedure. I can't think of any use for it, what are you thinking of doing?
 
  • #3
oh thanks meson. i have been reading up on GR and hyperspace for a while. But i have not touched much on the calculations part yet, but i am considering the idea of using sound as a point of view instead of light. Simply means that even we humans used light as an reference point, what will it be for sound? ..weird idea of mine..thanks again. :rolleyes:
 
  • #4
So when you have light in a room with sound waves coming from somthing, would you be able to hear the sound better, or would it be harder to hear?
 
  • #5
aeros, although the light affects sound, it will only affect it a tiny amount, so no audible difference will be heard :D
 
  • #6
Ok thank you for the answer. If light has no mass wouldn't it not affect sound at all? I would think itd have mass becasue when you close your eyes it still exerxts pressure on them, or at least it feels like it to me, and wouldn't the mass of light be the area that is covering? Sorry if I am asking redundant questions, but if dark is before light wouldn't that mean that it travels faster than it?
 
  • #7
Aeros said:
Ok thank you for the answer. If light has no mass wouldn't it not affect sound at all? I would think itd have mass becasue when you close your eyes it still exerxts pressure on them, or at least it feels like it to me,
Light has no mass, but carries momentum, which obvious is not related to its speed by [itex]p=mc[/itex] like classical massive particle. So light can exert pressure, which is just rate of momentum exchange per area as light (or particle) bounding off a surface. The claim that you can feel it is completely baloney though.

Aeros said:
and wouldn't the mass of light be the area that is covering? Sorry if I am asking redundant questions, but if dark is before light wouldn't that mean that it travels faster than it?
No idea what you just said here.
 
  • #8
As in feel i ment when I close my eyes I can still feel the light penetrating my eye lids I am sure we all can, and the dark coming before light is just a theory of mine just seeing if anyone would concur, but since no one seems to know much about dark energy its not perplexing.
 

1. How does light energy affect sound waves?

Light energy can affect sound waves in several ways. First, light energy can be converted into sound energy through the process of photoacoustic effect. This occurs when light is absorbed by a material, causing it to vibrate and produce sound waves. Additionally, light energy can also change the speed and direction of sound waves when it passes through a medium, such as air. This is known as refraction and can result in the bending or focusing of sound waves.

2. Can light waves interfere with sound waves?

Yes, light waves can interfere with sound waves. When two or more light waves overlap, they can create areas of constructive and destructive interference. This means that the amplitude of the resulting sound waves can be either increased or decreased, depending on the alignment of the light waves. This phenomenon is used in various technologies, such as the laser microphone, which uses light interference to detect sound waves.

3. How does the color of light affect sound waves?

The color of light, or its wavelength, can affect sound waves in different ways. For example, shorter wavelengths of light, such as blue or violet, have higher energy and can cause more intense vibrations in materials, resulting in louder sound waves. On the other hand, longer wavelengths of light, such as red or orange, have lower energy and may not have as strong of an effect on sound waves.

4. Is there a relationship between the speed of light and the speed of sound?

Yes, there is a relationship between the speed of light and the speed of sound. The speed of light is significantly faster than the speed of sound, which means that light waves can reach our eyes much faster than sound waves can reach our ears. This is why we often see something before we hear it, such as lightning and thunder. Additionally, the speed of light can affect the speed of sound when light waves are refracted, as mentioned earlier.

5. Can light energy be converted into sound energy and vice versa?

Yes, light energy can be converted into sound energy and vice versa. As mentioned earlier, the photoacoustic effect is one way that light energy can be converted into sound energy. On the other hand, the reverse process can also occur, known as the photophonic effect. This happens when sound waves cause changes in light waves, resulting in a conversion of sound energy into light energy. This phenomenon is used in technologies such as sonoluminescence, where sound waves are used to create tiny flashes of light.

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