Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q52 (NDA-II/2023) Science & Technology › Basic Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) Official Key

The flash of lightning is seen before the thunderstorm is heard. It verifies that

Explanation

The observation that lightning is seen before thunder is heard is a direct consequence of the significant difference between the speed of light and the speed of sound in the atmosphere.

  • Speed of Light: Light travels at an incredible speed of approximately 300,000,000 meters per second (3 × 108 m/s) in air. This allows the visual flash to reach our eyes almost instantaneously after the discharge occurs.
  • Speed of Sound: Sound travels much slower, at approximately 343 meters per second in air (at 20°C).

Because light travels nearly a million times faster than sound, the visual signal of the lightning strike covers the distance to the observer much quicker than the pressure waves (thunder) produced by the same event. Therefore, Option B is correct as it verifies that light travels much faster than sound.

✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

CAPF · 2021 · Q1 Relevance score: 4.35

The time elapsed between viewing a lightning flash and hearing the thunder of a cloud is 10 s. If the speeds of sound and light in the air are 330 m/s and 3 × 108 m/s respectively, how far away is the storm?

CDS-II · 2020 · Q104 Relevance score: 4.32

Which one of the following phenomena verifies the fact that light travels much faster than sound?

NDA-II · 2020 · Q83 Relevance score: 2.39

Which one of the following statements about sound is NOT correct?

IAS · 1994 · Q137 Relevance score: 2.34

Sound waves travel at 300 m/s. Sound produced at a point is heard by a person after 5 seconds while the same sound is heard by another person after 6 seconds. What could be the maximum and minimum distances between the two persons?

CDS-II · 2025 · Q26 Relevance score: 1.72

A sound wave travelling at a speed of 330 m/s produces 20 crests and 20 troughs in 0.1 second. The wavelength of the sound wave is :