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Yes.
Lightning reaches our eyes before thunder reaches our ears because light travels faster than sound.
Light travels at the rate of 186,282 miles per second, while sound is much slower, 1,087 feet, or about 1/5 of a mile, per second.
You can tell how far away a storm is by counting the seconds between the lightning flash and the clap of thunder, every 5 seconds between the two equals one mile!Lightning causes the thunder, so it actually has to precede the thunder. If you are close to the lightning, they may seem to occur simultaneously. Since light travels faster than sound, the thunder will always lag behind the lightning.
Light moves at 299 million metres per second. Sound moves at 340 metres per second (at sea level in air). When lightning occurs, the light and the creation of the sound occur at the same time and place. Thunder is due to the rapid expansion of superheated air which the lightning causes.
The flash of light (lightning) arrives first because light waves move at roughly a million times faster than sound waves. By counting the seconds between flash and sound (assuming the storm is not so violent that lightning flashes and thunder claps cannot be paired off), you can determine how close it was to you.
In the English system, each 5 seconds difference is about a mile away. In the metric system, every 3 seconds is about a kilometer. Differences in elevation can make this imprecise.
If the flash and sound are simultaneous, the source of the lightning is very close, so you might want to go inside immediately and if possible, not touch anything connected to the house's electrical, Plumbing, or wired telephone systems. If you are outdoors, stay out from under trees and away from tall objects and metal fences. Keep a low profile, even if it means ducking into a ditch.
Remember that electricity seeks the path of least resistance to ground, and the rain that accompanies the lightning enhances that effect, so stay dry and indoors - and avoid conductive systems as described above.
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∙ 11y ago
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Can you see thunder or lightning?
You see lighting and hear thunder.
Why do thunder and lightning arrive at different times?
You will see the lightning before you hear the thunder because light travels faster than sound (:
When a cannon is fired why do you see the light before you hear it?
For the same reason you see lightning before you hear thunder, Light travels faster than sound.
Why are you hearing thundering after lightning?
A lightning flash travels at the speed of light. The sound of thunder travels much slower. Therefore, we see the flash before we hear the thunder.
Why does lightning appear before thunder in rainy season?
If the center of the storm is directly over you, the thunder and lightning occur simultaneously - and startlingly loudly. But most of the time, we see the lightning well before we hear the thunder because you see things instantaneously, due to the speed of light. But you hear things much more slowly. It takes five seconds for sound to travel a mile. Hence, if you see lightning, then hear the thunder ten seconds later, the center of the storm is two miles away.
Why do you see thunder after you see the flash of lightning?
You don't see thunder. You hear thunder. You hear thunder after seeing the lightning because light travels faster than sound. The further the storm away is, the bigger the time between when you see the lightning and hear the thunder.
How come you see lighting and do not hear it and how come you hear thunder and do not see it?
You see lightning before you hear it because light moves faster than sound. Thunder comes from the lightning. You can't hear it until the sound waves reach you.
Can you see thunder or lightning?
You see lighting and hear thunder.
Why do you see lightning before you see thunder in terms of wave theory?
You see lightning first because light travels faster then sound.Also, you don't see thunder - you hear it.
Do you see or hear lightning?
You see the lightening, and hear the thunder.
Why do thunder and lightning arrive at different times?
You will see the lightning before you hear the thunder because light travels faster than sound (:
Why do you often hear thunder when you see lightning?
Thunder is always heard after lightning flashes. The sounds from thunder can be heard from miles away, but you can see lightning and NOT hear thunder. Never the other way around.
When a cannon is fired why do you see the light before you hear it?
For the same reason you see lightning before you hear thunder, Light travels faster than sound.
Why are you hearing thundering after lightning?
A lightning flash travels at the speed of light. The sound of thunder travels much slower. Therefore, we see the flash before we hear the thunder.
Why does lightning appear before thunder in rainy season?
If the center of the storm is directly over you, the thunder and lightning occur simultaneously - and startlingly loudly. But most of the time, we see the lightning well before we hear the thunder because you see things instantaneously, due to the speed of light. But you hear things much more slowly. It takes five seconds for sound to travel a mile. Hence, if you see lightning, then hear the thunder ten seconds later, the center of the storm is two miles away.
Is thunder the same as lightning?
Thunder and lightning occur roughly at the same time during a thunderstorm, but they are different things. Typically you see the lightning first and then you hear the thunder.
Why they don't see the lightning and hear the thunder at the same time?
because light travels faster than sound an amazing 300000 km/s. this is why we can see lightning vefore we hear thunder
