2006-11-28 00:35:42 · 18 answers · asked by Loz 1 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Weather
Yes. You see the lightning instantaneously, but, since sound travels more slowly than light, the sound of the thunder is delayed. One fairly reliable way to tell how far away the lightning is is to count the seconds between when you see the lightning strike and when you hear the thunder. Divide the number of seconds by five, and that is approximately how many miles away the strike was.
2006-11-28 00:46:31 · answer #1 · answered by Dread Pirate Roberts 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Lightning bolts are extremely hot, with temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun! When the bolt suddenly heats the air around it to such an extreme, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder. If you are near the stroke of lightning you’ll hear thunder as one sharp crack. When lightning is far away, thunder sounds more like a low rumble as the sound waves reflect and echo off hillsides, buildings and trees. Depending on wind direction and temperature, you may hear thunder for up to fifteen or twenty miles.
2006-11-28 00:57:32 · answer #2 · answered by sugarmagnolia 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thunder is the sound of air being expanded and collapsed as lightning passes through it. The intense heat of the lightning causes the air to expand around it, then as the heated air collapses back to normal thunder is the sound produced. So lightning doesn't have a sound itself, but it's effects cause a sound.
2006-11-28 01:23:48 · answer #3 · answered by Robert B 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thunder is, even today, not completely understood by modern science. The word usually describes 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.
2006-11-28 03:56:35 · answer #4 · answered by rusty red 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
When lightening strikes it heats the air along the path of discharge creating temperatures approaching 28 thousand degrees celsius. This heated air rapidly expands, in fact it expands faster than the speed of sound, and creates a shock wave. Thunder is the name we give to the sound this shock waves creates. Since sound travels so much slower than light (344 m/s vs 299,792,458 m/s) we see the flash of the lightening almost immediately followed a few seconds later by the thunder. Sound travels approximately a mile in five seconds, so if you want to know the distance to the lightening strike count in seconds and then divide by 5.
2006-11-28 00:54:49 · answer #5 · answered by DazerUK 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was told it was angels playing football!
Seriously though, thunder is the sound of a lightning strike but light is faster than sound hence the delay!
2006-11-28 00:45:46 · answer #6 · answered by Alison of the Shire 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, thunder is the cound of lightening. the reason you see the lightening 1st is because the speed of light is faster than the speed of sound. so you see lightening 1st then hear thunder 2nd.
2006-11-28 00:39:49 · answer #7 · answered by Cruz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes the sound is just delayed due to light traveling faster than sound
2006-11-28 00:38:50 · answer #8 · answered by martinf430 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no its the cold and warm air mixing that creates thunder why i dont know but that is what makes the thunder sound
2006-11-28 00:47:40 · answer #9 · answered by taylor1product@yahoo.co.uk 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
NO... thunder is normally created with lightnig but not part of it!
2006-11-30 03:33:01 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋