Here’s an interesting math puzzle. If you’re at a concert that’s also being broadcast live on the radio, who will hear the music first? Will it be you, or people listening on the radio? In this video, I’ll show you how to use the speed of sound versus the speed of light to find the answer. Watch to learn how it works…and who will hear the music first!
Download Student Worksheet & Exercises
So based on the conditions given in the video, the person listening on the radio will actually hear the music just slightly before you do! How strange is that?!?
Exercises
- At what speed do electromagnetic waves travel?
- What is the speed of sound though the air?
- What is the relation between time, distance and speed?
- A particle travels at a speed of 10 meters per second in the air for 20 seconds. Determine the distance that it covers.
- Convert the answer from question #1 above to the units of minutes instead of seconds.
- Convert the answer from question #2 above to the units of minutes instead of seconds.
- A radio listener hears the news from her radio 12,000 miles away from the broadcasting center. Determine the time it takes to receive the sound.(Use the speed from #1 above)
- A person attends a public rally at stand at 200 feet away from the stage so that they can hear the person’s real voice without the use of speakers. Determine the time taken to hear the sound. (Use the speed from #2 above.)
- In a phone conversation, it takes 1 second for a person to hear her friend from the other end. How far are these people from one another?
- During a public lecture, a student at the back takes 0.1 seconds to hear what the lecturer is saying. What is the distance between the lecturer and the student?