Question

To estimate how many miles you are from a thunderstorm, count the seconds between when you see lightning and when you hear thunder. Then divide by 5. How many seconds would you count for a thunderstorm that is 7 miles away?

a) 25 seconds
b) 10 seconds
c) 15 seconds
d) 7 seconds

Answer 1

To estimate the distance to a thunderstorm, divide the number of seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder by 5. For a storm 7 miles away, you would count 35 seconds, as 7 times 5 equals 35.

Step-by-step explanation:

To estimate the distance to a thunderstorm, you can use the time difference between seeing lightning and hearing thunder. Since light travels much faster than sound, we see lightning almost instantly, while sound has a delay. The standard approximation is that every 5 seconds of time delay corresponds to a distance of about one mile from the storm.

For a thunderstorm that is 7 miles away, you would count the number of seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder and then divide by 5. To find this number:

• Distance (in miles) = Time (in seconds) / 5
• 7 miles = Time / 5
• Time = 7 miles * 5 seconds/mile
• Time = 35 seconds

Therefore, for a thunderstorm that is 7 miles away, you would count 35 seconds between the sight of lightning and the sound of thunder.