Compare the speed of light to the speed of sound for your answer. In any explosion, you see the flash before you hear the noise.
The distance between you and the storm is approximately 1 mile away. This is calculated by dividing the time difference between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder (7 seconds) by 5, as it takes roughly 5 seconds for sound to travel one mile.
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.
The delay between the lightning and the sound of thunder is due to the difference in speed between light and sound. Light travels much faster than sound, so we see the lightning first before hearing the thunder. By counting the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, you can estimate how far away the lightning struck.
Determine the difference in the speed of the light in air from the lightning strike (3 * 105 km/sec) and the speed of the sound in air from the thunder (3 * 10-1 km/sec) and calculate the distance to the lightning.In 5 seconds the light travels so far that it can for all intents and purposes be considered instantaneous. We are left with the speed of the sound of thunder. 5 seconds is 1,5 km.
When lightning and thunder occur close together, it indicates that the storm is near. The time difference between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder can be used to estimate the distance of the storm; for every five seconds between them, the storm is approximately one mile away. A shorter interval suggests that the storm is very close, which can be dangerous. This proximity means one should take shelter immediately to stay safe from potential lightning strikes.
If there are many seconds between the flash of lightning and the roar of thunder, it indicates that the storm is far away. Each second of delay between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder represents a distance of about 1 mile between you and the lightning strike.
Lightning is a visible phenomenon that travels at the speed of light, while sound from thunder travels much slower at the speed of sound. This difference in speed is why we see the lightning first before hearing the thunder, creating a gap between the two perceptions.
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.
The distance between you and the storm is approximately 1 mile away. This is calculated by dividing the time difference between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder (7 seconds) by 5, as it takes roughly 5 seconds for sound to travel one mile.
To find the miles to the lightning, you can count the number of seconds between seeing the flash and hearing the thunder (time interval). Divide this number by 5 to get the distance in miles, as sound travels at about 1 mile every 5 seconds.
Five seconds is one mile away.Ten seconds is two miles away.
Five seconds is one mile away.Ten seconds is two miles away.
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.
To determine the distance of lightning, count the number of seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, then divide by 5 to get the distance in miles.
The delay between the lightning and the sound of thunder is due to the difference in speed between light and sound. Light travels much faster than sound, so we see the lightning first before hearing the thunder. By counting the seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, you can estimate how far away the lightning struck.
Determine the difference in the speed of the light in air from the lightning strike (3 * 105 km/sec) and the speed of the sound in air from the thunder (3 * 10-1 km/sec) and calculate the distance to the lightning.In 5 seconds the light travels so far that it can for all intents and purposes be considered instantaneous. We are left with the speed of the sound of thunder. 5 seconds is 1,5 km.
To determine the distance of a storm from your location, you can use the "flash-to-bang" method. Count the seconds between seeing a lightning flash and hearing the thunder. Divide this number by 5 to get the distance in miles. For example, if you count 10 seconds between the flash and the thunder, the storm is approximately 2 miles away.