The Mystery of Thunder and Lightning

How long does it take to hear the thunder after seeing a lightning strike three kilometers away?

After seeing a lightning flash 3 kilometers away, how much time elapses before you hear the thunder?

Answer:

It will take approximately 8.82 seconds for the sound of the thunder to reach you after seeing a lightning strike three kilometers away.

Have you ever wondered why there is a delay between seeing a lightning strike and hearing the accompanying thunder? The answer lies in the fundamental differences between the speed of light and the speed of sound.

When lightning strikes, the speed of light, which is approximately 3 x 10^8 m/s, allows us to see the flash almost instantly. However, the speed of sound in air is much slower, at around 340 m/s. This significant difference in speeds is what causes the delay between the visual and auditory elements of a thunderstorm.

In the scenario where a lightning strike occurs three kilometers away, the sound waves generated by the thunder need to travel that distance before reaching your ears. By dividing the distance of 3000m by the speed of sound (340 m/s), we can calculate that it takes approximately 8.82 seconds for the sound of the thunder to reach us after seeing the lightning.

So, the next time you witness a lightning strike in the distance, remember the fascinating interplay between the speed of light and sound that creates the phenomenon of thunder and lightning.