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The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. You see the lightening before you hear the thunder.

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Maude Kulas

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1y ago
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15y ago

Lightning causes thunder so it cant help but be faster. light also travels far faster then sound about 298000 kilometresper second (185000 miles per second)so you always see lightning then you hear the thunder,the speed of sound is 235.3 kilometers per hour (767.58 mph)

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14y ago
Because light travels faster than sound.Light travels about 186,000 miles in one second.
In the same interval, sound can only travel about 1125 feet (a little over 1/5 of a mile).

That's why you can judge the distance to a lightning bolt by timing the difference between the flash and the boom.
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11y ago

The flash and the bang happen at the same time but sound travels much slower than light so you see the flash almost instantly but the sound takes time to get to you. The further you are from the lightning, the longer it takes for the sound to get to you.

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11y ago

Light travels faster than sound.

The two tangible indicators of the presence of lightning are 1) light, in the form of the flash, and 2) sound, in the form of thunder. Given that light travels much faster than sound, it follows that you will see the flash of lightning before you hear the report (hopefully. If the two are simultaneous, to you, you may well be fried). In fact, one can judge the distance between oneself and the lightning strike by counting the seconds between the flash and the sound. Five seconds of elapsed time means the strike was about 1 mile away.

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9y ago

The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. You see the lightening before you hear the thunder.

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12y ago

Because light travels faster than sound.

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Q: Why does the flash of lightning take only an instant while the thunder can last for a few seconds?
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Related questions

How is thunder produced and how far away does the lightning strikes if the thunder is heard 15 seconds after the lightning is seen?

Thunder - is the result of a lightning flash. The flash causes the surrounding air to move away from the source at 300 metres/second. An approximate calculation for the relationship between the lightning flash to hearing the thunder, is 5 seconds per mile.


You hear thunder 13.9 seconds after a lightning flash how far are you from lightning?

then the lightning is 2.78 miles away from you.


How many seconds do you need to find the miles to the lightning?

-- Count seconds between the flash of lightning and the thunder -- Divide by 5. -- The result is the number of miles between you and the lightning


Why do sometimes hear thunder at about the same time you see flash of lightning but other times you hear thunder after the flash?

If you hear the thunder almost at the same time as the lightning flash - the storm is directly overhead. Usually - the sound of thunder arrives a few seconds after the lightning, because light travels much faster than sound.


There is a delay of 5 seconds between the time you see a flash of lightning and hear the thunder?

the lightning is roughly a mile away


Does thunder have a flash?

No. Lighting produces a flash. Thunder is the sound the lightning produces.


The clap of a thunder was heard 4 seconds after the flash of lightning was seen If the air temperature was 28 degree celsius how far was the lightning?

the lightning was 0.8 miles away.


How can we hear thunder?

If you hear the thunder almost at the same time as the lightning flash - the storm is directly overhead. Usually - the sound of thunder arrives a few seconds after the lightning, because light travels much faster than sound.


How do you estimate how far lightning is away from you?

To estimate your distance from a thunderstorm count the number of seconds between a flash of lightning and the next clap of thunder. Divide your answer by 5. See the related link below.


What would it mean if there were many seconds in between the flash of lightning and the roar of thunder?

it means the storm is about 1 mile away


What is a flash of lightning and the thunder that follows?

thunderstorm


What is flash of lightning and the thunder that follows?

thunderstorm