Question

The relationship between the time you see lightning and the time you hear thunder is directly proportional to the distance the lightning is from where you are standing. Eduardo counted 25 seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder, and he knew that the lightning was about 4 miles away. If he counted 15 seconds between the next flash of lightning and thunder, about how far away was the lightning?

A) 2 miles
B) 3 miles
C) 5 miles
D) 6 miles

Answer 1

Using the distance Eduardo previously calculated, which is 0.16 miles per second, and applying this to the 15 seconds time interval for the next flash of lightning, the lightning was approximately 2.4 miles away, closest to 3 miles. The correct answer is B) 3 miles.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking us to determine the distance of lightning from where the observer is standing based on the time difference between seeing lightning and hearing thunder. Since Eduardo counted 25 seconds between seeing lightning and hearing thunder, and knew the lightning was about 4 miles away, this implies that every second corresponds to a distance of 0.16 miles (4 miles ∕ 25 seconds).

For the next flash of lightning, if he counted 15 seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing thunder, we can calculate the distance as follows:

• Distance per second = 0.16 miles/second
• Distance = Time * Distance per second
• Distance = 15 seconds * 0.16 miles/second
• Distance = 2.4 miles

Therefore, the lightning would have been about 2.4 miles away, which is closest to option B) 3 miles.