Wonderful whys · 47/50 · Ages 8–10
The flash wins the race
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In a pretend storm video, Fox sees a flash before hearing thunder. Light reaches us much faster than sound. For a real storm, stay indoors with a trusted adult.
What you will discover
- Lightning and thunder are related, but their light and sound travel at different speeds.
- If you hear thunder outside, go to a safe indoor place with an adult.
English vocabulary
- lightning
- chớp
- thunder
- sấm
Let’s play
Why can a lightning flash arrive before thunder?
- Light travels faster than sound
- Thunder always waits politely
- Clouds have a slow speaker
See the explanation
The light arrives much sooner than the sound from the same event.
Practise touch typing
Place your hands on F and J and type this sentence using ten fingers.
Light travels much faster than sound.
Two little quiz questions
1. What is the sensible response to hearing thunder outside?
- Go indoors with an adult
- Stand under a lone tree
- Stay outside to count flashes
Answer and explanation
Go indoors with an adult. Use a safe indoor shelter; this game is not an outdoor storm experiment.
2. Which usually reaches us first from distant lightning?
- Light
- Sound
- A paper letter
Answer and explanation
Light. Light travels much faster than sound.
Read more with an adult: US National Weather Service: Lightning science