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If the time between when you see lightning and hear thunder is increasing the storm is moving away from you Why is this true?
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, while the speed of sound is about 750 miles per hour. When you see a flash of lightning, the light gets to you in, for all practical purposes, "no time at all". But the sound of the thunder takes about 6 seconds per mile.
So if the average time between the lightning and the thunder is increasing, that tells us that the average distance to the storm is also increasing.
Wiki User
∙ 15y ago
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Why does thunder make a sound?
It travels because of:The boom efect and what it does and how sound travels.
What is a huge electrical spark moving between areas of opposite charge?
lightning
Does lightning always come before thunder?
Thunder and lightning both occur at the same instant. If you are observing them from a distance, then you perceive the lightning first, because the light travels to you much faster than the sound does.Lightning. Its ionization of air is what makes the boom.
Is lightning an element?
Lightning is a mythical element as in earth air fire water and the such. But an actual scientific element? No. Lightning isn't even matter. It is energy moving from atom to atom
Why do you see lightning before you hear thunder when both occur at the same time?
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. THIS IS TOO LONG
Why does thunder make a sound?
It travels because of:The boom efect and what it does and how sound travels.
How would you calculate the speed at which a thunderstrom cell is moving?
Count the time in seconds between a lightning flash and the thunder clap. Five seconds delay equals 1 mile in distance.
What is a huge electrical spark moving between areas of opposite charge?
lightning
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.
What is the relationship between thunder and lightning?
Lightning is an atmospheric discharge caused by a very large voltage difference between two objects, usually the clouds and the Earth. Lightning is actually electricity flying through the air. The voltage it takes for electricity to do so is in the millions of volts compared to your household voltage of 110/220v. When lightning moves through the air it 'ionizes' the air molecules, giving them a strong negative charge. Also, it creates a LOT of heat. These two effects force the air molecules to move very far apart in the vicinity of the lightning. Once the lightning has finished moving the air cools down quickly. Once they are cool and loose their ionic charge the molecules slam back together. The sound you know as thunder is the trillions of air molecules crashing together. Another visual: For the instant just after a lightning strike there is a vacuum formed in a rough tube shape where the bolt travelled. So for a spit second there is nothing where the lightning bolt was. The pressure, from the rest of the atmosphere, around this tube collapses it. The collapse creates a loud noise known as thunder.
What is the process that creates or causes thunder?
Lightning appears when condensed water (think of clouds) turns into ice crystals and water droplets, and wind smashes this together, because of this energy the wind puts in this hail, positive and negative particles are separated. When there is enough of a charge difference lightning strikes either moving from one part of the storm to another or hitting the ground. Thunder is the sound produced by lightning. It occurs as the lightning instantaneously heats the air to tens of thousands of degrees. The air expands rapidly and sends out a shockwave.
Does lightning always come before thunder?
Thunder and lightning both occur at the same instant. If you are observing them from a distance, then you perceive the lightning first, because the light travels to you much faster than the sound does.Lightning. Its ionization of air is what makes the boom.
What is the difference between lightning and the electricity that you use at home?
There isn't. Thomas Jeffrson couldve Tod you that. Lightning is just a huge charge of electricity from charged up clouds (and the ground, too!)
In what two ways is it possible to generate a higher voltage in a moving conductor?
The two ways of generating a higher voltage in a moving conductor are: 1. Increasing the speed of relative motion between the coil and the magnet 2. Increasing the strength of magnetic field.
Why does thunder shake a house?
It moves because thunder is just sound caused by lightning super heating air and sound is just motion through particles in the air. So basically your house is being hit by tons of atoms moving from a lightning strike somewhere in the sky.
Does lightning contain salt?
No, it does not. Lightning is an electric discharge moving through ionized gas, a.k.a. plasma.
Why is lightning an example of electrical energy?
That means that the energy in the lightning consists of moving electrical charges (electrons in this case).
