Picnickers see a lightning flash and hear the resulting thunder 9.0 s later. If the storm is traveling at a rate of 15 km/h, then how long, in minutes, do the picnickers have before the storm arrives at their location?
To determine the time the picnickers have before the storm arrives at their location, we can follow these steps:
1. Calculate the distance between the lightning and the picnickers' location.
- Since the speed of sound is approximately 343 meters per second, and there are 1000 meters in a kilometer, the speed of sound is 343 * 1000 = 343,000 meters per hour.
- The distance traveled by sound in 9.0 seconds is 343,000 * 9 = 3,087,000 meters.
- Since there are 1000 meters in a kilometer, the distance is 3,087,000 / 1000 = 3087 kilometers.
2. Calculate the time it takes for the storm to travel the distance to their location.
- The speed of the storm is 15 kilometers per hour.
- Time = Distance / Speed = 3087 kilometers / 15 kilometers per hour = 205.8 hours.
3. Convert the time from hours to minutes.
- Since there are 60 minutes in an hour, 205.8 hours * 60 = 12,348 minutes.
Therefore, the picnickers have approximately 12,348 minutes before the storm arrives at their location.