Ngozi is standing at the bottom of a hill holding a large, inflated balloon. Raj is halfway up the hill. If Ngozi releases the balloon and it pops, who will hear the pop first, Ngozi or Raj? Make your response very short.
Ngozi will hear the pop first. Sound travels through air by making the air particles vibrate, and since Ngozi is closest to the source of the sound (the popping balloon), the sound waves will reach her ears before they reach Raj's ears farther up the hill. The speed of sound in air is constant at a given temperature, so the shorter distance to Ngozi means a shorter time for the sound to travel to her.