Question

You see a flash of lightning and hear the thunder 3 seconds later. How far away was the

lightning strike? (Thunder is caused by lightning. Use 25 ºC for the temperature of the
air.)

Answer 1

1020 meters

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the distance from a lightning strike, you can use the time elapsed between seeing the flash of lightning and hearing the thunder.

The speed of sound in air is approximately 340 m/s. So the distance from the lightning can be calculated as:

distance = (time elapsed) x (speed of sound) = 3 seconds x 340 m/s = 1020 meters.

Note: This calculation is a rough estimate and does not take into account other factors such as air temperature, atmospheric pressure, and altitude, which can affect the speed of sound.

ALLEN

Answer 2

The speed of sound in air is approximately 331.5 meters per second at 25 ºC. Therefore, the lightning strike was approximately 994.5 meters away when you saw the flash of lightning and heard the thunder 3 seconds later.