Ask Me Help Desk

Ask Me Help Desk (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forum.php)
-   Physics (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/forumdisplay.php?f=258)
-   -   Thunder and lightning physics (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=68536)

  • Mar 4, 2007, 06:59 AM
    adam vencato
    thunder and lightning physics
    hello everyone

    Could You tell me how to calculate the movement in time of thunder and lightning.

    I Would like to know why thunder comes before lightning:::how do you calculate the equation of the time level of thunder to lightning

    my calculation is represented as 5 seconds to 1 mile away please correct me if I am wrong

    ciao ciao

    adam vencato

    ven-car-toe
  • Mar 4, 2007, 07:22 AM
    Capuchin
    Lightning(the light) comes before thunder(the sound) because the speed of sound is slower than the speed of light.

    the speed of light is 300,000,000 m/s, the speed of sound is about 340 m/s

    The speed of light is so fast that it might as well be instant.

    So the other thing you want to know is how long it takes sound to travel a mile.

    well a mile is 1609 meters.

    so using d = st we find that t = 1609/340 = 4.7 seconds.

    so when lightning hits 1 mile away, the thunder comes 4.7 seconds after the lightning.

  • All times are GMT -7. The time now is 07:32 PM.