Why is there always Thunder after Lightning?

Question

Why is there always Thunder after Lightning?

Answer 1

there is always a delay because sound travels @ 761mph and light much quicker.

  

Answer 2

its the same thing, just seen and heard separately, its energy seen and heard

Answer 3

Because thunder is the noise of the lightning discharge which is nothing but electrical spark on a large scale.Just like any spark which normally produces a sound,lightning also produces a big sound but in a similar way.

Answer 4

We SEE the lightning before we HEAR the thunder because light travels faster than sound.

Answer 5

A lightning discharge superheats the air which then expands explosively. This causes a sharp crack which can be heard for miles. The rolling you hear is the initial crack echoing off buildings, hills, etc. Since light travels much faster than sound you see the flash long before you hear the thunder. The time interval is dependant on the distance you are from the lightning and the temperature of the air. Knowing the air temperature will give you the local speed of sound and you can calculate your distance from the lightning stroke.  

Answer 6

sound travels slower than light :)

Answer 7

Speed of light is faster than the speed of sound, therefore you see before you hear.

Geddit? :P

Answer 8

It always seems the other way round to me. I always hear thunder way before any lightning comes.

Answer 9

They are the same thing but light travels faster than sound therefore the light (lightening) arrives first and then it is followed by the thunder when it catches up.

That is why the longer you count inbetween, the further away it is

Answer 10

lightening make the air expand rapidly, making a bang, which is thunder,.

Answer 11

light is a bit quicker than sound...

186000 Miles per second

as opposed to 650(ish Miles per hour)

Answer 12

This is because Thunder is caused by Lightening.  Thunder is actually a sonic boom caused by Lightening traveling faster than the speed of sound.  Just as a super-sonic jet would pass overhead and then you would hear the sonic boom afterward.  The sound is much slower and trying to catch up.

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Answer 13

The answer is obvious.  Light moves 186,242 miles (~300,000 km) per second.  Sound, through air, only moves about a thousand feet per second.  Light moves way faster than sound.  So, thunder always come after lightning.  

Answer 14

hmmmm  u in south england as there is a big fat storm right now!!!

and it happens at the same time just light travells faster than sound