Does light affect sound

Why are sounds louder at night than during the day?

 

[berkeman]

Why are sounds louder at night than during the day?

Welcome to the PF.

When you put your question (copy-paste) into Google, what kind of things do you find out?

 

[Borek]

Are they?

 

[berkeman]

I can think of one situation where it is true, and I'm hoping that the OP can use Google-foo to find it...

 

[theb2]

I don’t have google as my cellphone is restricted, but I’d guess it’s not affected. I haven’t taken a light course on physics yet. Will be my next course, light seems to be affected by gravity and I know water changes it’s speed and direction. But I’d imagine sound is too light of a medium to make any measure able affect. I’m other words I have no idea

 

[DennisN]

But I’d imagine sound is too light of a medium to make any measure able affect.

Interesting. So you think sound is a medium... if so, can you tell me where I can buy a couple of boxes of sound?

Spoiler

Sound is not a medium.

 

[Psinter]

Sounds give the perception to be louder during the night because there tends to be less noise pollution than during the day. But it's just a perception.

Edit: Actually ignore my post. You got me thinking. Now I wonder whether sound waves interfere other mechanical waves, effectively reducing loudness. If that were to be the case, I believe some waves could reach your eardrums with less energy during the day and with more during the night (due to noise interference on the waves during the day), given that the source employs the same initial energy for the sound in both situations. Hmmmmm...

 

[berkeman]

Why are sounds louder at night than during the day?

I can think of one situation where it is true, and I'm hoping that the OP can use Google-foo to find it...

Well, since the OP has not been back in a couple of weeks, here is the effect that I had in mind. I've definitely experienced this, and it's a bit spooky...

Spoiler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(meteorology) -- Inversions can happen at night, and make sound reflect off the inversion layer and travel farther...

 

[dlgoff]

Well, since the OP has not been back in a couple of weeks, here is the effect that I had in mind. I've definitely experienced this, and it's a bit spooky...

Spoiler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inversion_(meteorology) -- Inversions can happen at night, and make sound reflect off the inversion layer and travel farther...

Learn something new every day. Thanks @berkeman.

 

Why are sounds louder at night than during the day?

Isn't this because sound is affected by the density of air? I mean during the day the air heats up causes the density to get lower, which might cause the loudness of sound to alter from the cold denser air during the night?

I am kind of not sure about this either though.

 

[berkeman]

Isn't this because sound is affected by the density of air? I mean during the day the air heats up causes the density to get lower, which might cause the loudness of sound to alter from the cold denser air during the night?

I am kind of not sure about this either though.

Read the Spoiler in Post #8 above...

 

[Drakkith]

Why are sounds louder at night than during the day?

The ambient noise from traffic, people, and other sources is reduced at night.

 

I don’t have google as my cellphone is restricted, but I’d guess it’s not affected. I haven’t taken a light course on physics yet. Will be my next course, light seems to be affected by gravity and I know water changes it’s speed and direction. But I’d imagine sound is too light of a medium to make any measure able affect. I’m other words I have no idea

Please Let me know what you discover in your next course