Is it a myth that the time between a thunder clap and the lightning is to do with the distance from you.?

Question

Is it a myth that the time between a thunder clap and the lightning is to do with the distance from you.?

Answer 1

It is definitely not a myth.

Light travels so quickly that it if you see the lightning, you are essentially seeing it in real time (the time it takes for the light to travel to you is imperceptible to you).

Sound, however, takes approximately five seconds to travel one mile. Thus, if you see a lightning strike, and can start counting seconds (one-onethousand, TWO-onethousand, THREE-onethousand works pretty well), when you hear the thunder, you can calculate approximately how far away it was from you.

Please do note that lightning commonly strikes 3-5 miles away from the last strike, so if you can hear the thunder, you are within range to be hit by lightning. Seek shelter immediately!

Of course, it can be difficult sometimes to tell which thunder clap corresponds to which lightning strike, but often you can judge it pretty well...

Answer 2

If you think thats a myth, go watch a baseball game. Notice when you see the batter swing, you dont hear the crack of the bat until afterwards.

Same idea. Lightning flashes, igniting a bolt of air to thousands of degrees, sending out a shockwave. You see the flash (light travels nearly instantly at that distance), but the shockwave is only going 700 mph. So, you hear it afterwards.

Ever had lightning flash right above you? Thats when its so close there IS no delay -- the crashing sound is almost exactly when the flash occurs.

Not a myth, just basic physics.

Answer 3

Yes its true. You count how many seconds between the thunder and lightning and then turn it into miles and thats how far away the storm is. I think thats how u do it but im not exactly sure but i DO know its true.

Answer 4

time interval between lightning and thunder can vary depending in your distance.

Good Example:

if you hear thunder, and see lightning at the same, i wish you a happy funeral =]

Answer 5

No, bud, it's pretty much a very simple exercise in science.

Light travels so fast that it  would only take 1/10 of a second for a beam of light to travel around the world.

Sound, on the other hand, travels at about 1 mile every 5 second.

So, when you see a flash of lightning, start counting.  For every 5 seconds that you count, that's how many miles away the lightning is.

Answer 6

of course, light travels 186,000 miles per second, while sound goes only around 600 miles per hour.  so you see the light, essentially instantly, while there is a delay for the sound to reach you.