How can we tell the distance of the wood-chopper from us?
If we count the number of seconds between the stroke of the axe and the time when the sound reaches our ear, and multiply eleven hundred and twenty by this number, it will give us the distance in feet; because sound travels eleven hundred and twenty feet in a second.
How can we tell the distance of lightning from us?
If we count the number of seconds between the lightning and the thunder, and divide this number by five, it will give the distance in miles; because sound travels one mile in every five seconds.
How rapidly does sound travel through water?
Sound travels about four times as rapidly through water as it does through air.
How rapidly does sound travel through a solid?
Sound travels ten times as rapidly through wood, and sixteen times as rapidly through glass, as it does through air.
Does a loud sound travel more rapidly than a faint one?
No; it does not.