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This method is based on the fact that light travels much faster than sound through the atmosphere: Light travels at 186,291 miles per second (299,800 km/s), whereas the speed of sound is only about 1,088 feet per second (332 meters per second), depending on air temperature.
Does sound travel at 1 mile a second?
In air at a temperature of 70° F (22.2° C), sound travels at a speed of about 1,129 feet (344 meters) per second, which is roughly equivalent to one-fifth of a mile in one second, or one mile in five seconds (or one kilometer in about three seconds).
How fast does sound go per second?
Sound is a sensation created in the human brain in response to sensory inputs from the inner ear. The speed of sound through the atmosphere is a constant that depends on the daily temperature. On a standard day at sea level static conditions, the speed of sound is about 760 mph, or 1100 feet/second.
How long does it take sound to travel 1 mile?
Thunder travels much slower, at the speed of sound, about 1088 feet per second. It takes sound about 5 seconds to travel one mile.
What is the 30 30 rule for lightning?
Don’t forget the 30-30 rule. After you see lightning, start counting to 30. If you hear thunder before you reach 30, go indoors. Suspend activities for at least 30 minutes after the last clap of thunder.
How far does sound travel every second?
The speed of sound is the distance travelled per unit of time by a sound wave as it propagates through an elastic medium. At 20 °C (68 °F), the speed of sound in air is about 343 metres per second (1,125 ft/s; 1,235 km/h; 767 mph; 667 kn), or one kilometre in 2.9 s or one mile in 4.7 s.
How long does it take for sound to travel 3 miles?
The speed of sound changes depending on temperature and humidity but one can estimate that sound travels 1 mile in roughly 5 seconds.
How fast does sound travel in air mph?
On Earth, the speed of sound at sea level — assuming an air temperature of 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius) — is 761.2 mph (1,225 km/h). Because gas molecules move more slowly at colder temperatures, that slows the speed of sound; sound moves faster through warmer air.
Is lightning faster than sound?
Yes! Lightning heats the air and causes shock waves. But you see lightning before you hear thunder because light, which travels a million times faster than sound, arrives almost instantly. Sound, on the other hand, takes about five seconds to travel one mile.
Does sound travel at constant speed?
The speed of sound is constant in the same sense that the mass of an object is constant.
How fast does sound travel through concrete?
Speed of sound in solids and metals like aluminum, brass, concrete and more. Solid Speed of Sound (m/s) Longitudal Shear Concrete 3700 3200 Constantan 5177 2625 Copper, annealed 4760 2325.
Can sound travel through a vacuum?
Sound waves are travelling vibrations of particles in media such as air, water or metal. So it stands to reason that they cannot travel through empty space, where there are no atoms or molecules to vibrate.
What is the maximum speed of sound?
But the maximum speed of sound moving through a solid or a liquid has just been calculated for the first time. It is about 36 kilometres per second, more than 8000 times lower than the speed of light in a vacuum.
Is it OK to have your AC on during thunderstorm?
Though it’s tempting to rely on your air conditioner, you shouldn’t run your unit during a thunderstorm. Not only does running your AC during a storm put your system at risk, but it can also put your safety at risk.
How close does lightning have to be to close a pool?
We recommend 30 seconds (6 miles) as a reasonably safe distance when an activity should be stopped and a safe location should have been reached. The typical lightning threat lasts less than an hour.
Is it bad to carry an umbrella in a thunderstorm?
Lightning Odds Using an umbrella in a thunderstorm slightly increases your odds of being struck. If your hair stands on end during a storm, that’s a bad sign. It means positive charge is building up around you and your chances of being struck are extremely high.
How fast is a flash of lightning?
1. The speed of lightning. While the flashes we see as a result of a lightning strike travel at the speed of light (670,000,000 mph) an actual lightning strike travels at a comparatively gentle 270,000 mph.
How fast is the return stroke of lightning?
A return stroke (the very bright visible flash that we see as lightning) travels at about 60,000 miles per second back towards the cloud, with one flash consisting of as many as 20 return strokes.
How much faster is light than sound?
The speed of light as it travels through air and space is much faster than that of sound; it travels at 300 million meters per second or 273,400 miles per hour.
What is the speed Mach 1?
A Mach number is the ratio of an object’s speed in a given medium to the speed of sound in that medium. Mach 1, then, is the speed of sound, around 761 mph at sea level on a standard day.
What is the speed of sound at 30000 ft?
The speed of sound (Mach 1) varies with altitude and temperature. If an aircraft is travelling at the speed of sound at sea-level then its speed will be 661 knots (760 miles per hour) or if it is travelling at the speed of sound at 30,000 feet then its speed will be 589 knots (677 miles per hour).
How fast do you have to go to break the sound barrier?
U.S. Navy For an airplane to break the sound barrier, it must hit speeds of about 770 mph — when it does that a couple of things happen.
