The speed of light in a vacuum is approximately 299,792 kilometers per second (km/s). To compare this to the speed of sound, which is measured in Mach numbers, we need to know that Mach 1 is the speed of sound in air, which is about 1,235 kilometers per hour (km/h) or 343 meters per second (m/s) at sea level under standard conditions.
To find out how many Machs the speed of light is, we can convert the speed of light to kilometers per hour and then divide by the speed of sound in kilometers per hour.
First, convert the speed of light to km/h:
299,792 km/s * 3,600 seconds/hour = 1,079,252,848.8 km/h
Now, divide the speed of light in km/h by the speed of sound in km/h:
1,079,252,848.8 km/h / 1,235 km/h ≈ 873,890 Mach
So, the speed of light is approximately 873,890 Mach. This means that light travels about 873,890 times faster than the speed of sound in air under standard conditions.