Which one of the following phenomena verifies the fact that light travels much faster than sound?
[amp_mcq option1=”Twinkling of stars in night sky” option2=”Lighting of a matchstick” option3=”Thunderstorm” option4=”Mirage” correct=”option3″]
This question was previously asked in
UPSC CDS-2 – 2020
The phenomenon of a thunderstorm clearly demonstrates that light travels much faster than sound. During a thunderstorm, lightning is a visual flash of light, and thunder is the sound produced by the rapid expansion of air heated by the lightning discharge. We always see the lightning first and then hear the thunder after a noticeable delay. This delay is because light travels at approximately 3 x 10⁸ meters per second, while sound travels at approximately 343 meters per second in air (at 20°C), a speed difference of about a million times.
The time difference between seeing lightning and hearing thunder during a thunderstorm proves that light travels significantly faster than sound.