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Hulda Gleason

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What is the sound that results from the rapid expansion of air along a lightning strike called?

The sound that results from the rapid expansion of air along a lightning strike is called thunder. Thunder is caused by the heating and rapid expansion of air around the lightning bolt, creating shock waves that we hear as a loud rumbling noise.


How wide is a thunder?

The width of a thunder refers to the sound produced by lightning. Thunder can be heard up to 10 miles away from a lightning strike, with the volume of sound decreasing the further you are from the strike.


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.


Does thunder hit houses?

Lightning can strike houses during a thunderstorm, but thunder itself is simply the sound produced by the rapid expansion and contraction of air surrounding a lightning bolt. It is not the lightning strike itself, so thunder does not directly hit houses.


Why is the thunder is in the zig zag pattern?

The zig zag line is not made by thunder but by lightning. It finds the easiest path from the cloud to earth or to another cloud and this is not always straight, it would seem. The noise of thunder is made by the air, which gets heated a lot by the lightning and expands, collapsing in again rapidly after the strike.

Related Questions

Do thunder resultes from the explansion of air along the lightning strike?

Yes, thunder is caused by the quick expansion and then contraction of air along the path of a lightning strike. When lightning heats the air, it expands rapidly, creating a shock wave that we hear as thunder.


Can thunder strike kill?

No. Thunder is the noise that lightning makes.


Why do you sometimes hear thunder at about the same time of lightning?

you are probably hearing the thunder from a different lightning strike.


What is the sound that results from the rapid expansion of air along a lightning strike called?

The sound that results from the rapid expansion of air along a lightning strike is called thunder. Thunder is caused by the heating and rapid expansion of air around the lightning bolt, creating shock waves that we hear as a loud rumbling noise.


What causes thunder after a lightning strike?

The electricity in the clouds.


What is stronger lightning or thunder?

Thunder i guess but lightning make a sound of thunder so it would probably be both!


What is it called when lightning and thunder occur together?

When lightning and thunder occur simultaneously, it is known as a lightning strike. Lightning is the electrical discharge seen in the sky, while thunder is the sound produced by the rapid expansion and contraction of air around the lightning bolt.


What causes claps of thunder?

Lightning is very hot, about 27760 degrees Celsius. When the lightning heats the air around it , the air instantly expands, resounding with a shock wave.The clap is an indication of how close you are to the lightning strike, a sharp bang means you are very close ( the sound will come almost immediately after the strike or at the same time), if you are farther away it will sound like a rumble as the sound waves bounce off the geographical features on its way to you ( the thunder will come several seconds later than the lightning strike )As kids we used to count the seconds that it took for the thunder to resound after a lightning strike to tell how far away it was, one second for one mile


How wide is a thunder?

The width of a thunder refers to the sound produced by lightning. Thunder can be heard up to 10 miles away from a lightning strike, with the volume of sound decreasing the further you are from the strike.


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.


When lightning strikes is energy transferred to the air?

Yes, when lightning strikes, it heats up the surrounding air so rapidly that the air expands quickly, creating a shock wave that we hear as thunder. This transfer of energy from the lightning bolt to the air is what causes the thunder sound that we hear after seeing a lightning strike.


How many seconds does lightning strike?

you can see the lightning for only about a second or so but you can hear the thunder for a couple seconds.