It's been said that you can estimate how far away a lightning bolt is by counting the number of seconds that elapse between seeing the flash and hearing the thunderclap, and then dividing that number by five to get a distance in miles. In terms of the physics of light and sound waves, does this method make sense?

Tarnayfu

Tarnayfu

Answered question

2022-08-11

It's been said that you can estimate how far away a lightning bolt is by counting the number of seconds that elapse between seeing the flash and hearing the thunderclap, and then dividing that number by five to get a distance in miles. In terms of the physics of light and sound waves, does this method make sense?

Answer & Explanation

Payton Mcbride

Payton Mcbride

Beginner2022-08-12Added 18 answers

Yes, it does make sense. Light waves travel faster than sounds. The sound of thunder is created when lightning travels through the air. When you count the seconds between the lightning and thunder, then divide it by 5, you may able to gauge the distance of the lightning from where you are.
Each 5 seconds equivalents to a mile.

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