I’ve always been fascinated by thunderstorms. Can someone explain why we see lightning before we hear thunder, and what exactly causes both of these phenomena?
In: Physics
Inside the clouds of a thunderstorm, the force of atoms hitting each other at the speeds they do is able to knock electrons out of their orbit. These electrons then become unstable and seek their way towards the closest body (when we mention lightning it’s usually the ground). After so much buildup, large amounts of electrons will make way for that body through the path of least resistance, and at such massive numbers, result in the destructive phenomenon of lightning.
As the lightning traves through the air, the electric charge brings with it immense levels of heat, which cause the air around the strike it to rapidly expand before the temperature rapidly neutralizes and contracts back to its normal state. This expansion and contraction creates a massive soundwave that we then hear as thunder.
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