Light travels almost one million times faster than sound—specifically, 880,000 times the speed of sound. Light and all electromagnetic waves travel at a speed of 3 x 10⁸ meters per second, while the speed of sound is only about 340 meters per second or 760 miles per hour on a typical spring day.

The speed of sound compared to the speed of light can be observed at a baseball game. A spectator sitting in the outfield bleachers sees the batter hit a ball before she hears the crack of the bat.