Why is there a gap between seeing lightning and hearing thunder?Question response areaSelect one optionSound and light travel at different speeds.Air slows down the sound of the thunder.Thunder happens a few seconds after lightning.Energy in lightning makes the light travel faster.
Question
Why is there a gap between seeing lightning and hearing thunder?Question response areaSelect one optionSound and light travel at different speeds.Air slows down the sound of the thunder.Thunder happens a few seconds after lightning.Energy in lightning makes the light travel faster.
Solution
The gap between seeing lightning and hearing thunder is due to the difference in the speed at which light and sound travel. Light travels at a speed of approximately 299,792 kilometers per second, which is much faster than the speed of sound, which is around 343 meters per second.
When a lightning bolt flashes in the sky, the light reaches your eyes almost instantly because of its incredibly high speed. However, the sound of the thunder that is produced by the same lightning bolt takes more time to reach you because sound travels much slower than light.
This is why we see lightning first and hear the thunder after a delay. The longer the delay between the lightning and the thunder, the further away the lightning bolt is from you.
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