A hiker sees a lightning flash, 13.0 s later he hears the sound of the thunder.
Recalling from his study of physics that the speed of sound in air is approximately 1/3 km/s he estimates that the distance to where the lightning flash occurred is approximately
a. 4.33 km
b. 9.33 km
c. 14.3 km
d. 44.3 km
d = Vt = 0.3333km/s * 13s = 4.33km.
To estimate the distance to where the lightning flash occurred, we can use the fact that the speed of sound in air is approximately 1/3 km/s, and that sound travels about 1 kilometer every 3 seconds.
First, let's calculate the time it took for the sound to reach the hiker. The hiker heard the sound of the thunder 13.0 seconds after seeing the lightning flash.
Since we know that sound travels at approximately 1 kilometer every 3 seconds, we can calculate the distance traveled by the sound as follows:
Distance = Speed × Time
Distance = (1/3) km/s × 13.0 s
Calculating this gives us:
Distance = (1/3) km/s × 13.0 s = 4.33 km
Therefore, the estimated distance to where the lightning flash occurred is approximately 4.33 km.
So, the correct answer is option a. 4.33 km.