If we have just counted 15 seconds between the lightning and thunder, how far away do we predict the center of the thunderstorm to be using the 3 second rule and What was the percent difference between the prediction and the real distance of the thunderstorm? The speed of light is 3x108 m/s, and the speed of sound is 343 m/s.

If we have just counted 15 seconds between the lightning and thunder, how far away do we predict the center of the thunderstorm to be using the 3 second rule and What was the percent difference between the prediction and the real distance of the thunderstorm? The speed of light is 3x108 m/s, and the speed of sound is 343 m/s.

To determine the distance to the center of the thunderstorm using the 3-second rule, you would follow these steps:

1. Calculate the time it takes for sound to travel from the lightning to your location:
Time = Total time (15 seconds) - Time for light to reach your location
Time for light = Distance / Speed of light
Time for light = Distance / (3 x 10^8 m/s)

2. Subtract the time for light from the total time to get the time for sound:
Time for sound = Total time - Time for light
Time for sound = 15 seconds - (Distance / (3 x 10^8 m/s))

3. Apply the 3-second rule, which states that sound travels approximately 343 m/s:
Distance = Time for sound x Speed of sound
Distance = (15 seconds - Distance / (3 x 10^8 m/s)) x 343 m/s

Now, we can solve this equation to find the distance to the center of the thunderstorm. Simplifying the equation:

Distance = (15 - Distance / (3 x 10^8)) x 343

Solving for Distance:
Distance = (515/3) x 10^8
Distance ≈ 171.67 x 10^8 m
Distance ≈ 1.7167 x 10^10 m

Therefore, using the 3-second rule, the predicted distance to the center of the thunderstorm is approximately 1.7167 x 10^10 meters.

To calculate the percent difference between the predicted distance and the real distance, you would use the following formula:

Percent Difference = (|Real distance - Predicted distance| / Real distance) x 100

Given that the real distance is not provided in the question, I cannot calculate the percent difference. However, once you have the actual distance, you can insert the values into the formula above to find the percent difference between the predicted and real distances.