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Because the speed of light in air is faster than the speed of sound, therefore light comes before sound.

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10y ago
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4mo ago

Lightning is seen first because light travels much faster than sound.The light from the lightning reaches you almost instantly, while the sound of thunder travels much slower through the air, resulting in a delay between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder.

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Q: Why do you see lightning before you hear the thunder it makes?
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Why do you see thunder after you see the flash of lightning?

You see the flash of lightning before you hear the thunder because light travels faster than sound. The light from the lightning reaches your eyes almost instantly, while the sound of thunder takes longer to travel through the air to reach your ears.


Do you see or hear lightning?

You can see lightning but you cannot hear it directly. The sound you hear is thunder, which is created by the rapid heating and cooling of air surrounding a lightning bolt.


Why does thunder comes after lightning?

Thunder comes after lightning because lightning is caused by a rapid heating and expansion of the air around it. This sudden expansion creates a shock wave, which we hear as thunder. Since light travels faster than sound, we see the lightning first before hearing the thunder.


Why do you often hear thunder when you see lightning?

You often hear thunder when you see lightning because lightning produces a sudden and rapid heating of the air around it, causing it to expand quickly. This rapid expansion creates a shock wave that we hear as thunder. The farther away you are from the lightning, the longer it takes for the sound to reach you.


Why do you hear thunder after a bolt of lightning?

Thunder is the sound produced by the rapid expansion and contraction of air surrounding a lightning bolt. When a lightning bolt heats the air to temperatures exceeding 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, it causes the air to rapidly expand and contract, creating a shockwave that we hear as thunder. The sound travels slower than light, so we often see the lightning before hearing the thunder.

Related questions

How do you hear thunder?

lightning heats the air which we hear as thunder


If you see lightning and didn't here thunder what dose that mean?

If you see lightning but don't hear thunder, it means the lightning is far away. The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound, so you usually see lightning before you hear the associated thunder.


Why do you see thunder after you see the flash of lightning?

You see the flash of lightning before you hear the thunder because light travels faster than sound. The light from the lightning reaches your eyes almost instantly, while the sound of thunder takes longer to travel through the air to reach your ears.


How come you see lighting and do not hear it and how come you hear thunder and do not see it?

You see lightning before you hear it because light moves faster than sound. Thunder comes from the lightning. You can't hear it until the sound waves reach you.


Do you see or hear lightning?

You can see lightning but you cannot hear it directly. The sound you hear is thunder, which is created by the rapid heating and cooling of air surrounding a lightning bolt.


Why are you hearing thundering after lightning?

A lightning flash travels at the speed of light. The sound of thunder travels much slower. Therefore, we see the flash before we hear the thunder.


Why does thunder comes after lightning?

Thunder comes after lightning because lightning is caused by a rapid heating and expansion of the air around it. This sudden expansion creates a shock wave, which we hear as thunder. Since light travels faster than sound, we see the lightning first before hearing the thunder.


Can you see thunder or lightning?

You see lighting and hear thunder.


Why do you often hear thunder when you see lightning?

You often hear thunder when you see lightning because lightning produces a sudden and rapid heating of the air around it, causing it to expand quickly. This rapid expansion creates a shock wave that we hear as thunder. The farther away you are from the lightning, the longer it takes for the sound to reach you.


What happens when there is lightning but no thunder?

Thunder is the sound caused by lightning, there is always thunder with lightning. If you cannot hear thunder maybe that is because you are too far away from the storm.


Why do you hear thunder after a bolt of lightning?

Thunder is the sound produced by the rapid expansion and contraction of air surrounding a lightning bolt. When a lightning bolt heats the air to temperatures exceeding 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit, it causes the air to rapidly expand and contract, creating a shockwave that we hear as thunder. The sound travels slower than light, so we often see the lightning before hearing the thunder.


Why do you see lightning before you see thunder in terms of wave theory?

You see lightning first because light travels faster then sound.Also, you don't see thunder - you hear it.