And is it as fast as the speed of light?
2006-10-20 20:47:31 · 28 answers · asked by Hello Dave 6 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
:O :O :O Am I seeing people sayin lightning is light!!!??? Oh my days, GCSE results must be declining. Lightning is NOT light, how can a cloud generate light out of nowhere??? Ligthning is electrostatic discharge through air, WHICH EMITS LIGHT. Yes, it is close to the speed of light but come on, please, it's not light, its discharge!
Oh but if the question is "how fast does the light emitted by a lightning travel", that's when we're talking about light and it's extremly close to the speed of light since light is a tiny bit slower in air than in a vacuum.
Speed of light in a vacuum is 299 792 458 metres per second. (from Google)
"It's spelled LIGHTning, therefore it is light!"
"It's spelled STRAWberry so it must be a straw"
2006-10-21 13:39:24 · answer #1 · answered by Inviz 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Well lets see now. In SI (standard units)it is 299792458 meters per second.That is the speed of light in a VACUUM. However the Earth's atmosphere is not a vacuum and therefore it travels ever so slightly slower than that. The difference is so slight that it is insignificant and the speed of lightening can be safely stated as that number above.. Further to that, an average bolt of lightening is about the thickness of a pencil and has a temperature similar to inside of the Sun. Thunder is caused by the AIR immediately surrounding the lightening bolt heating up so rapidly that it behaves the same way as an explosive would. Hence the bang.
Mike. BSc.
2006-10-21 04:18:38 · answer #2 · answered by mike_dromara 4 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Lightning can travel at the most at half the speed of light, usually less. Lightning isn't light...it's electricity, visible light is given off as well.
"The process that creates a lightning stroke is
not light transfer, but is the transfer of
electrical energy (charge) through
the air. Much like an electrical cable, the air,
even though it is ionized, has some resistance
to charge transfer. The speed of the stroke is
impeded by having to transfer the energy from
molecule to molecule along the way, in the process
literally exploding the molecules into atoms."
~From the source below
2006-10-21 03:51:50 · answer #3 · answered by Shaun 4 · 3⤊ 1⤋
actually diarrhea is faster than light or lightening.
Because, a few nights ago I got up as fast as lightening turn the light on but I had gone in pants already. So, diarrhea is faster. Have a good day. Lol.
2006-10-21 04:05:34 · answer #4 · answered by EDUARDO H 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
During lightening the air must be activated (ionized) to be able to give light.
Since this activation and the production of light (photons) takes time, the speed of the lightening is a little bit less than the speed of light itself.
So it is less than 300 megameter / second. (M = mega = million)
Th
2006-10-21 04:18:40 · answer #5 · answered by Thermo 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The ionisation in the air pulls off massive, if random charges so the speed of lightning is actually less than that of the speed of light.
2006-10-21 04:07:07 · answer #6 · answered by yasiru89 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Since lightning is electricity which when it travels through a conductor is very close to the speed of light, 186,284 miles per second. But, in open air, it travels a bit slower.
2006-10-21 03:58:35 · answer #7 · answered by Dan821 4 · 2⤊ 1⤋
The main stroke travels at about 0.1 c (30 million meters/second or 100 million feet/second) and the peak current lasts for tens of microseconds or so. After the peak, the current typically decays over tens or hundreds of microseconds.
(c=The speed of light in a vacuum)
2006-10-21 04:09:14 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
thunder and lightening are electricity, not light themselves, so they travel much less than the speed of light all though really fast. my guess is 10km per second
2006-10-21 04:37:02 · answer #9 · answered by okko 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HEY!!! As The name indicates LIGHTening is the emmission of light when two clouds rub against each other. Well this explanation should be fit for your 10 year old son.
Thus lightening travels with the speed of light.
2006-10-21 04:02:49 · answer #10 · answered by Annie 1 · 0⤊ 3⤋