Suppose a train is traveling north at a velocity of 100 m/hr. At a certain point thunder falls 50 miles north and 50 miles south of the train at the exact same instant. If you could be able to measure this, which thunder bolt would you see first?
2006-06-28 04:25:52 · 16 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
I agree with a number of the other posts that you should state the question correctly. One doesn't see thunder, but I'm assuming you are talking about the light from the lightning that created the thunder.......yes?
Anyway, with such an assumption, and based on the numbers in your question, you will see the lightning from the northern-most strike before you see the one from the south.
The train will have moved roughly 0.475 inches when the lightning flash reaches the observer, and therefore this ligtning flash has this much less to travel before reaching the train.
If you're actually talking about thunder......or....sound, you'd still hear the nothern-most thunder first.
2006-06-28 04:45:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You would hear the thunder from the north first, since you are traveling that direction. The flashes of lightning, if you could see them from 50 miles off, would be seen at the same time because the speed of light is so fast.
2006-06-28 11:33:56 · answer #2 · answered by student_of_life 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't think thunder has bolts, but lightning does. It also depends on the direction your facing, but since you are traveling towards the north, I should imagine you would see the lighting to the north.
2006-06-28 11:30:41 · answer #3 · answered by Robsthings 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
first...you can not see thunder...only measure the sound waves... and in the case of seeing...it would be the lighting to the north because you are traveling in that direction so you are approaching instead of the south which you are moving away from
2006-06-28 13:11:24 · answer #4 · answered by voni 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In theory you would be able to see the bolt that struck to the north first. But it would be barely perceptable (if at all to you) The speed of light is 186,282.397 miles per second. This mean that at a distance of 50 miles you would see it in (50 miles / 186,282.397 miles per second) 0.0002 seconds... The difference between the two would not be perceptible
2006-06-28 11:33:56 · answer #5 · answered by Greg M 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Einstein used this thought experiment in his popular presentation of special relativity. We observe simultaneity relative to our reference frame.
Someone standing on the ground watching the train pass, observes two simultaneous lightning strikes equidistant from a passenger on the train. The passenger on the train observes a lightning strike to the north slightly sooner than the lightning strike to the south.
The observers have no reason to argue, however.
2006-06-28 12:15:56 · answer #6 · answered by Ethan 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would believe North since that is the way in which you are traveling, but it wouldn't be a noticable difference since the speed of light is sooo much greater.
Also, which way are you facing... that would be a big factor!!!
2006-06-28 11:50:02 · answer #7 · answered by jenn339 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You would see the north flash first. Also, if you could measure very precisely, you could note it had a slight blue-shift and the south had a slight red-shift due to doppler effect.
2006-06-28 11:37:53 · answer #8 · answered by David J 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the bolt to the north because you're traveling north
2006-06-28 11:27:32 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thunder is the sound made by lightning. You can't actually see thunder.
2006-06-28 11:28:23 · answer #10 · answered by david s 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋