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Thunder
Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, it can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble (brontide). The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave which produces the sound of thunder.
Cause
The cause of thunder has been the subject of centuries of speculation and scientific inquiry. The first recorded theory is attributed to the Greek philosopher Aristotle in the third century BC, and an early speculation was that it was caused by the collision of clouds. Subsequently, numerous other theories have been proposed. By the mid-19th century, the accepted theory was that lightning produced a vacuum. In the 20th century a consensus evolved that thunder must begin with a shock wave in the air due to the sudden thermal expansion of the plasma (physics)|plasma in the lightning channel. In a fraction of a second the air is heated to a temperature approaching 28,000 Celsius|°C (50,000 Fahrenheit|°F)[Lightning?]. This heating causes it to expand outward, plowing into the surrounding cooler air at a speed faster than sound would travel in that cooler air. The outward-moving pulse that results is a shock wave, [P Graneau, The cause of thunder, 1989 J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 22 1083-1094 doi:10.1088/0022-3727/22/8/012]
Etymology
The ''d'' in Modern English ''thunder'' (from earlier Old English ''þunor'') is epenthetic, and is now found as well in Modern Dutch ''donder'', , (cp Middle Dutch ''donre'', and Old Norse ''þorr'', Old Frisian ''þuner'', Old High German ''donar'' descended from Proto-Germanic *''þunraz''). In Latin the term was ''tonare'' "to thunder" (see also tornado). The name of the Germanic god Thor comes from the Old Norse language|Old Norse word for thunder.
The shared Proto-Indo-European language|Proto-Indo-European Proto-Indo-European root|root is wiktionary:Appendix:List_of_Proto-Indo-European_roots#t|*''tón-r̥'' or ''*'', also found Gaulish ''Taranis'' and Hittite ''Tarhunt''.
See also:
- Thursday (German: ''Donnerstag'': "Thor|Thunders Day")
- Donner und Blitz (German for "''Thunder and Lightning''")
- Tornado
Calculating distance
A flash of lightning, followed after some seconds by a rumble of thunder is, for many people, the first illustration of the fact that sound travels more slowly than light. Using this difference, one can estimate how far away the bolt of lightning is by timing the interval between seeing the flash and hearing thunder. The speed of sound in dry air is approximately 343 m/s or 1,127 feet per second or at 68°F (20 °C).
[ See, for example, page 14-36 of ]
The speed of light is high enough that it can be taken as infinite in this calculation. Therefore, the lightning is approximately one kilometer distant for every 2.9 seconds (or one mile for every 4.6 seconds). In the same five seconds the light could have circled the globe 37 times. Thunder is seldom heard at distances over 24 kilometers (15 miles). A flash of lightning and a simultaneous sharp "clap!" of thunder, a ''thunderclap'', therefore indicates that the lightning strike was very near.
Fear of thunder
Fear of thunder is known as astraphobia.
See also
- Thunderstorm
- Thunderbolt
- Lightning
- Castle thunder (sound effect)|The Castle Thunder sound effect
- List of thunder gods
- :Category:Thunder gods|Thunder gods category
External links
- The science of thunder
Category:Atmospheric electricity
Category:Noise
Category:Weather
simple:Thunder
zh-yue:雷
bat-smg:Dundūlis
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Sources: StartLearningNow, Wikipedia | Usage license: GNU FDL
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