# Counting between the lightning and the thunder **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 11, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669 "2004-10-11T17:17:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/1 "2004-10-11T17:17:24Z")
I know the number of seconds between the two can be used to estimate how far away the lightning is – but what’s the scale, here? One second = what fraction of a mile? ---
**Author:** ![Berkut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a88e57/32.png) [@Berkut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Berkut)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/2 "2004-10-11T17:21:47Z")
One Second = 1,116.4 feet = roughly 1/5th of a mile. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/3 "2004-10-11T17:37:23Z")
Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Sublight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/439d5e/32.png) [@Sublight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sublight)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/4 "2004-10-11T17:40:06Z")
Or if you want to do it in metric, 1 second = 330m, or about 1/3 of a kilometer. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/5 "2004-10-11T17:48:06Z")
> [@Berkut](#): > > One Second = 1,116.4 feet = roughly 1/5th of a mile. Sorta. The speed of sound is dependent on the temperature, so it can vary from about 1087.4 ft/s at 0 C to 1145.6 ft/s at 30 C. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/6 "2004-10-11T17:54:54Z")
Well, given the incredible precision of the timing device (me mentally counting “One Mississippi, two Mississippi…”), I’m not sure we necessarily need to factor that in. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/7 "2004-10-11T17:57:33Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Well, given the incredible precision of the timing device (me mentally counting “One Mississippi, two Mississippi…”), I’m not sure we necessarily need to factor that in. Not at all. 5 seconds = 1 mile is a good first-order approximation. I was just clarifying the point that the speed of sound is not a fixed value. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/8 "2004-10-11T18:05:31Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Well, given the incredible precision of the timing device (me mentally counting “One Mississippi, two Mississippi…”), I’m not sure we necessarily need to factor that in. It was my impression that **Q.E.D.** was simply noting the fact that the supposed equality of “One Second = 1,116.4 feet” is actually temperature dependent, and that reporting this equality to five significant figures with no mention of this gives a false sense of precision. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/9 "2004-10-11T19:08:03Z")
Sorry, I should have added a smiley of some sort – I just meant ballpark was all I was after. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/10 "2004-10-11T19:41:19Z")
Has anyone watched any lightning stroke and then guessed how it would sound before it reached you? Kind of trying to make a 3D “audioization” from a 3D visualization, by judging the distance of the entire stroke from you and figure if it’s gonna boom or rumble depending on your position w.r.t. the entire stroke. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/11 "2004-10-11T21:00:03Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Sorry, I should have added a smiley of some sort – I just meant ballpark was all I was after. The speed of sound in the ballpark is essentially the same as other places nearby. 😉 But the game is usually postponed during inclement weather, anyway. I’m confused. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2004, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/counting-between-the-lightning-and-the-thunder/268669/12 "2004-10-11T21:08:06Z")
> [@danceswithcats](#): > > The speed of sound in the ballpark is essentially the same as other places nearby. 😉 > > But the game is usually postponed during inclement weather, anyway. I’m confused. 😛