why not after the thunder??? i dont get it
2006-09-10 01:07:03 · 8 answers · asked by Pretty woman! 1 in Education & Reference ➔ Primary & Secondary Education
but how do u calculaate it? i mean how far away it is?
2006-09-10 01:16:04 · update #1
because the amount of seconds that the thunder is apart from the lightning is equal to the distance in kilometres that the storm is......and all that thunder is, is the echo of the lightning striking..........simplified the speed of light is quicker than the speed of sound and so we will see the lightning before we hear the thunder.
2006-09-10 01:15:48 · answer #1 · answered by Mintjulip 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Because the lightning is always followed by the thunder. Count after the thunder, and you'll get nothing.
What you use is the difference in the speed of light and the speed of sound. Light in a vacuum travels about 670,616,630 mph, sound at sea level in "normal" air travels around 760mph. So there is an obvious difference ;)
That's why people count; the time it takes for the light to travel from the lightning to your eyes is practically 0. Then, if you count the time it takes the sound to reach you, you know about how far away it was. Every 5 seconds is about a mile away.
2006-09-10 01:17:55 · answer #2 · answered by mahgri 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The sound of thunger is created by the lightning. So, if you start counting the seconds as soon as you see the lightning, you are counting how fast the sound of the thunder reaches you. The closer the storm and the lightning, the closer to the lightning you will hear the thunder.
Wikipedia states thunder is "a sonic shock wave caused by the rapid heating and expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. The bolt changes the air into plasma and it instantly explodes causing the sound known as a thunder clap."
2006-09-10 01:14:48 · answer #3 · answered by tapple64 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since sound travels much slower than light, measuring the time between the flash and the thunder tells you about how far away the lightning was.
JMB
2006-09-10 01:16:20 · answer #4 · answered by levyrat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
once you spot the lightning, count selection seconds till the thunder is offered in. If it is 10 seconds, divide by 5 to locate what share miles away the lightning may be, for this reason 2 miles away. hence, sound travels a million mile in style of 5 seconds.
2016-12-12 05:51:51 · answer #5 · answered by lacross 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually you're counting the number of seconds between the lightening strike and the clap of thunder. This measurement gives you an approximation of how far away the lightening strike was.
2006-09-10 01:12:33 · answer #6 · answered by DeltGuy 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
sound takes TIME to travel, by counting the time between the lightening strike and the clap of thunder you can get an estimate of how far away the lightening really was.
2006-09-10 01:14:45 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Light travels faster then sound
wich generally means that every secon the sound is later then the light the lighting struck 300 meters further from you
so 3 secs means it strick about 1000 meter away from you
2006-09-10 01:15:03 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋