Lightning strikes a hilltop that you can see, but do not know the distance to. If the thunder
takes 10.52 seconds to reach you and the speed of sound in air is 340. m/s, how far away is the
hilltop?
To find the distance to the hilltop, we can use the relationship between the speed of sound, the time it takes for the sound to reach us, and the distance traveled.
The speed of sound in air is given as 340 m/s.
The time it takes for the sound to reach us is given as 10.52 seconds.
Since speed is equal to distance divided by time, we can rearrange the formula to solve for the distance. Therefore,
Distance = Speed × Time
Substituting the given values:
Distance = 340 m/s × 10.52 s
Calculating this equation, we find the distance to the hilltop:
Distance = 3576.8 m
Therefore, the hilltop is approximately 3576.8 meters away.