Question

What is the loud sound that we hear during lightning?

Answer 1

Sound

1. When a body undergoes vibration, it transfers this vibration energy to the air particles around it.
2. These air particles suffer compression and rarefaction.
3. By repeated compression and rarefaction, they transfer their energy into the neighboring particles.
4. In this way, the sound energy travels a distance through the medium and sound can be heard.
5. The speed of sound in air is $340m/s$, their speed in water is $1480m/s$ and in solid is around $6000m/s$.

Thunder

1. The loud sound that we hear during lightning is called thunder.
2. This sound resembles a loud and sharp crack for a listener near which the lightning strikes.
3. This sound resembles a low rumble for a listener who is far away from the lightning-stricken region.
4. During lightning, there is a sudden increase in temperature and pressure.
5. The path through which the lightning strikes form a huge column of vacuum for a short period of time.
6. Since air always flows from a high-pressure region to low pressure region, the air around rushes in to fill the vacuum, and hence a loud thunder is heard.