Question

Does the speed of light depend on air temperature ?

Answer 1

Heat, like sound, is a form of kinetic energy. Molecules at higher temperatures have more energy, thus they can vibrate faster. Since the molecules vibrate faster, sound waves can travel more quickly. The speed of sound in room temperature air is 346 meters per second.

Answer 2

The speed of light does not depend upon air temperature.

Step-by-step explanation:

Speed = Distance / Time and so speed of light in air is equal to 3 * 10^8 m/s. The value is constant for vacuum whereas for the speed of light in water depends upon the refractive index of water.

However to calculate speed of light, temperature doesn't have a major effect. Even though light travels through medium of different densities, its effect will be very much negligible to taken into account.