In a physics hw sheet a question that i am havingtrouble starting, but once star

Question

In a physics hw sheet a question that i am havingtrouble starting, but once started i feel confident i can completeit! the question states," the speed of sound is a constant3.3x10^2 m/s, while light speed is 3.0X10^8. if u see a flash oflightning and then 5.0 s later hear the thunder, how far away didthe strike occur? i know i am supposed to use thespeed=dist/time equation but how doi get it started? please help. :) In a physics hw sheet a question that i am havingtrouble starting, but once started i feel confident i can completeit! the question states," the speed of sound is a constant3.3x10^2 m/s, while light speed is 3.0X10^8. if u see a flash oflightning and then 5.0 s later hear the thunder, how far away didthe strike occur? i know i am supposed to use thespeed=dist/time equation but how doi get it started? please help. :)

Explanation / Answer

the light tells you when the event did happen (because lighttravels so fast it takes essentially no time to propagate a few hundred km) and you use the sound in the way you have mentioned to calculatethe distance; since you use x and t in that equation, the light tells you thatyou need not to worry about t=0 because you do refer the sound back to the lightevent and that is for all practical purposes identical to t=0, andtherefore to the true distance in the calculation

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