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Lightning is caused by a build-up of static electricity between raindrops. Eventually, enough builds-up, and it is discharged towards earth. Thunder is the noise caused by such a huge force, it is heard after the lightning is seen because light travels faster than sound.
Wiki User
∙ 14y ago
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoThe strike comes before the sound, because the electricity and light are faster travel faster than sound. That is why the strike comes before the sound.
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∙ 10y agoWe see lightning before we hear thunder because light travels faster than sound. The speed of light is 299,791,819 meters per second whereas the speed of sound is 321.8688 metres per second
Wiki User
∙ 10y agoBecause light is significantly faster than sound. Though they happen at the same time, you see the lightning first because it takes less time to travel to you.
Wiki User
∙ 7y agoBecause the speed of light is much higher than the speed of sound; so the light flash reaches your eyes much earlier than the rumble sound reaches your ears.
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoThe speed of light travels much, much faster than the speed of sound. Thus, the light reaches your eyes before the sound reaches your ears.
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Is it really true that the lightning strikes first before the thunder or the lightning and thunder strikes together but only the lightning seems to be first because of it's speed of light?
Lightning does indeed strike first, as thunder is the sound created by lightning. According to Wikipedia, lightning heats the air surrounding it by large quantities, which in turn causes the air to expand and create a "Sonic wave" which is similar to a sonic boom.
Why does lightning first?
The speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, therefore you see lightning first during a thunderstorm, then you hear the thunder. *yikes!* :) ilovecatz1234
When you see lightning strike you hear thunder first is this statement a scientific theory or a scientific law?
It's neither because it's an erroneous statement. Thunder is the sound made by lightning; it therefore cannot precede the lightning flash because the lightning flash travels at the speed of light and the thunder travels much more slowly at the speed of sound.
Why is lightning heard before thunder?
Lighting always comes just before thunder because it is the heat of lightning that causes thunder. Lightning is seen when there is a discharge of atmospheric electricity in the clouds or between clouds and the ground. The energy from the lightning heats the air and causes a sudden expansion of the air (followed by a rapid contraction), which results in the sound called thunder. Since the heat of lightning causes the expansion that results in thunder, the lighting must come first. (see related link below) Because light travels faster than sound, an observer will normally perceive a delay between lightning and thunder. This delay increases with farther distance from the actual lightning strike. People will often count the seconds that pass after they see lightning until they hear the thunder. The shorter the time observed between the two, the closer the lightning is to the observer. - In English units, every 5 seconds of delay is about a mile in distance. - In metric units, every 3 seconds of delay is about a kilometer in distance.
Does lightening thunder?
Thunder and lightning occur simultaneously. We often hear the thunder after seeing the lightning due to the distance between us observers and the source of the lightning. Light travels faster than sound, so we see the lightning first and hear the sound later.
Is it really true that the lightning strikes first before the thunder or the lightning and thunder strikes together but only the lightning seems to be first because of it's speed of light?
Lightning does indeed strike first, as thunder is the sound created by lightning. According to Wikipedia, lightning heats the air surrounding it by large quantities, which in turn causes the air to expand and create a "Sonic wave" which is similar to a sonic boom.
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.
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 is there a delay between the lightning an thunder?
There is a delay between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder because the speed of light (lightning) is much faster than the speed of sound (thunder). Thus, you SEE lightning first, and then you HEAR thunder later.
Does thunder happened first?
No, thunder reaches the observer after they see lightning.
Does thunder always mean lightning?
Generally, yes. Lighting and thunder originate at the same time, but since light travels much faster than sound, you see the lightning before you hear the thunder. The one exception is if the lighting strikes very close, within a few hundred feet. In this case you see the lightning and hear the thunder at essentially the same time.
What are the similarities of thunder and lightning?
No, the two are quite different. The main difference is lightning is light, thunder is sound. Lightning is an electric charge that can come from a cloud for various reasons. Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Since sound travels slower than light, lightning comes first, thunder second.
Why do we see lightning first and then followed by thunder?
Light travels faster than sound. This causes the lightning flash to be seen first, with thunder taking longer to be heard.
Why does lightning appear first before thunder when they both happen at once?
Light travels much faster than sound.
Thunder is to Lightning as Grape is to Sun Raisin Seed Wine?
(Moved from discussion comments) SEED! Lightning happens first. then thunder. So... Thunder is to Lightning as Grape is to Seed. (2nd, 1st):(2nd, 1st)
Why does lightning cause thunder?
Lightning is an electric discharge from the cloud to ground (although you can have other types, such as cloud to cloud). When the lightning strikes it heats up the surrounding air so fast that it causes an explosion, which is heard as thunder.
Why did people hear a loud rumble before the shaking began in christchurch?
P waves are also faster than S waves, and this fact is what allows us to tell where an earthquake was. To understand how this works, let's compare P and S waves to lightning and thunder. Light travels faster than sound, so during a thunderstorm you will first see the lightning and then you will hear the thunder. If you are close to the lightning, the thunder will boom right after the lightning, but if you are far away from the lightning, you can count several seconds before you hear the thunder. The further you are from the storm, the longer it will take between the lightning and the thunder. P waves are like the lightning, and S waves are like the thunder. The P waves travel faster and shake the ground where you are first. Then the S waves follow and shake the ground also. If you are close to the earthquake, the P and S wave will come one right after the other, but if you are far away, there will be more time between the two.
