Is it polite to answer, "Yes sir/No sir" or "Yes ma'am/No Ma'am" to someone well under your age level?

I’d was raised as a child to be polite and the military only reinforced that. And I certainly would not want to offend a U.S. senator by calling them Sir or Ma’am instead of by the appropriate title. What are the rules for calling someone a title of respect like Sir or Ma’am. Can you call someone by that title if you are more than 10 years older than them? Please help…I’m freaking out here, people!