Question

In a thunder and lightning storm there is a rule of thumb that many people follow. After seeing the lightning, count seconds to yourself. If it takes 5 seconds for the sound of the thunder to reach you, then the lightning bolt was 1 mile away from you. Sound travels at a speed of 331 meters/second. How accurate is the rule of thumb? Express your answer as a percent error.

Answer 1

Answer:

2.837% less than actual value.

Explanation:

Based on given information let's calculate our value.

S = Vxt = 331m/s x 5s = 1655m, that is the total distance that sound would travel in 5 seconds.

1mile = 1609.34meters.

percentage error is.

$\frac{actual-calculated}{actual} *100 = \frac{1609.34-1655}{1609.34} *100 = -2.83%$

negative indicates less than actual value.