The flash of lightning is seen before the thunderstorm is heard. It verifies that

The correct answer is Light travels much faster than sound.

Key Points

• Light travels at a much higher speed than sound.
  • The speed of light in a vacuum is 3,00,000 km/s, while the speed of sound varies depending on the medium but is much slower (e.g., around 343 meters per second in air).
  • When lightning occurs, the light from the flash reaches the observer almost instantaneously, while the sound of thunder takes some time to travel through the air.
  • The time gap between seeing the lightning and hearing the thunder can be used to estimate the distance of the lightning strike.

Additional Information

• According to Einstein's special relativity, the speed of light has a unique state: it is a fundamental characteristic of our universe, representing the maximum speed at which information can travel from one place to another.
• The twinkling of a star is due to the atmospheric refraction of starlight.
  • The starlight, on entering the earth’s atmosphere, undergoes refraction continuously before it reaches the earth.
  • The atmospheric refraction occurs in a medium of gradually changing refractive index.
  • Since the atmosphere bends starlight towards the normal, the apparent position of the star is slightly different from its actual position.