(Inside Science) – Because the speed of sound travels slower than the speed of light, baseball fans up in the stands tend to mistakenly think the player is safe because it takes the sound longer to reach their ears. However, umpires are closer to the action and have a more accurate view of whether a player is safe or out.

"The umpire does have a more accurate representation of what’s going on. Whereas what the audience members are perceiving is more of a real life lag, so to speak," said Chandler Krynen, a researcher at Arizona State University.