If you see a flash of lightnng and it is 3 sec. before you hear the clap, how far away is the storm?
Sound travels approximately 1100 feet/sec. There are 5,280 feet in a mile; therefore, about 1 sec corresponds to 1 mile. Thus 3 sec is about 3 miles. If you want an exact number we can do that too.
can I get an exact number so i can see if I got it.... thanks
Why don't you show your work and let us check it.
ok LOL I am not to good at these formulas...
5280/3 1760m
I have a feeling that is allll wrong
I goofed. The time between seeing the light and hearing the sound is about 5 sec per mile and not 1 sec per mile. therefore 3 sec is a little over 1/2 a mile. But I'll be glad to check your answer. Sound travels at 344 m/s.
would I times 344 m/s with 3 sec? and 1032 m....
Sound travels, at 21 degrees C, about 344 m/s. Therefore, in 3 seconds, the sound would travel 3 sec x 344 m/s = 1032 meters.
1170 ft/sec x 3 sec = 3510 feet. Check me out on that.
yes.
To determine the distance of a storm based on the time between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder, you can use the following method:
1. Start by understanding that the speed of light is significantly faster than the speed of sound. Therefore, we generally assume the light from a lightning flash reaches us instantaneously, while it takes some time for the sound to travel to our ears.
2. The time interval between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder is a measure of this time difference.
3. The speed of sound in dry air at sea level is roughly 343 meters per second (or about 1,125 feet per second).
4. By dividing the time interval (in seconds) by the speed of sound (in meters per second), we can calculate the approximate distance to the storm.
Now, let's apply this method to your specific scenario:
Given that you see the flash of lightning and it takes 3 seconds for the thunder to reach your ears, we can calculate the distance to the storm as follows:
Distance = Time interval / Speed of sound
Distance = 3 seconds / 343 meters per second
Distance ≈ 0.00876 kilometers or 8.76 meters
Therefore, based on the time difference of 3 seconds, the storm is approximately 8.76 meters away from your location.