
Lightning and thunder take place in the sky at the same time and the same distance from us. Lightning is seen earlier and thunder is heard later. Can you explain it?
Answer
565.8k+ views
Hint: Since both takes place at the same time and from the same distance it could be seen or heard. So for deciding which one is faster we will check the speed of light and the speed of sound. And after comparing we can be able to tell which is faster.
Solution
The speed of light is way faster than the speed of sound because of this the light emitted by lightning reaches our eyes before the sound of thunder reaches our ears. We tend to see lightning before we hear thunder.
Now we will see how much the speed of the light is.
Speed of light is $3 \times {10^8}m/s$
Speed of sound is $340{\text{ m/s}}$
Since we can see the difference between these two and when these two happened at the same time then due to the much more speed of light we tend to see the light first and due to the slow speed as compared to the light we heard the thunder sound late.
So the light will travel faster than the speed of sound.
The speed of light is, therefore, quick, regarding “on earth distances” that's it much instant for non-scientific usage. The speed of sound varies reckoning on one’s height higher than the water level, however, is measured in many miles per hour, and man-made objects will go quicker than sound, as an example several rifle bullets, fighter, and air-to-air or ground to air missiles. So if we observe a thunderstorm, we'll see the lightning nearly instantly, however, we'll hear the thunder later, maybe many seconds later, reckoning on the space we're from, and our altitude.
Notes: Speed of light, the speed at which light waves propagate through completely different materials. Specifically. The speed of sound is the distance cosmopolitan per unit of time by a sound wave because it propagates through an elastic medium.
Factors touching a speed of sound: Density of the medium and temperature of the medium.
Solution
The speed of light is way faster than the speed of sound because of this the light emitted by lightning reaches our eyes before the sound of thunder reaches our ears. We tend to see lightning before we hear thunder.
Now we will see how much the speed of the light is.
Speed of light is $3 \times {10^8}m/s$
Speed of sound is $340{\text{ m/s}}$
Since we can see the difference between these two and when these two happened at the same time then due to the much more speed of light we tend to see the light first and due to the slow speed as compared to the light we heard the thunder sound late.
So the light will travel faster than the speed of sound.
The speed of light is, therefore, quick, regarding “on earth distances” that's it much instant for non-scientific usage. The speed of sound varies reckoning on one’s height higher than the water level, however, is measured in many miles per hour, and man-made objects will go quicker than sound, as an example several rifle bullets, fighter, and air-to-air or ground to air missiles. So if we observe a thunderstorm, we'll see the lightning nearly instantly, however, we'll hear the thunder later, maybe many seconds later, reckoning on the space we're from, and our altitude.
Notes: Speed of light, the speed at which light waves propagate through completely different materials. Specifically. The speed of sound is the distance cosmopolitan per unit of time by a sound wave because it propagates through an elastic medium.
Factors touching a speed of sound: Density of the medium and temperature of the medium.
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