Do you know how to tell the distance a lightning strike is from you in miles by counting the seconds from the lightning until the thunder?

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answers:
derfram say: The light from the lighnting travels at the speed of light, 186,000 mph. So you see the strike almost instantaneously. Sound, however, travels a mere 1/5 of a mile per second, so it takes the sound 5 seconds per mile to reach you.

So if you count 10 seconds between seeing the strike and hearing the thunder, the lightning was 10/5 = 2 miles away.
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tentofield say: Once you leave the USA, the last bastion of "miles", you will need to know, as the rest of the world does, that it is three seconds per kilometre between the flash and the bang.
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poldi2 say: Yes, I learned that in grade 2.
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The Donald say: Yes, I've known that.
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TQ say: Yes.
I know how to do that ... too.
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USAFisnumber1 say: Yes. The speed of sound is 1100 feet per second. So you count the seconds between the flash and when you hear it. Five seconds is one mile, ten seconds is two miles. Etc. You will be off a bit due to the speed not being exactly 5 seconds to a mile and also due to your reaction time but it is close enough for a quick estimate.
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billrussell42 say: yes, I do know how to do that.
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Dze say: yeah more or less count 'one one-thousands' and that equals miles ..
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