The rolling of thunder is mainly due to
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
Correct Answer:
Successive reflections of sound
Explanation:
The rolling of thunder is mainly due to the successive reflections of sound (echoes) from various surfaces such as clouds, the ground, and surrounding mountains or hills. When lightning strikes, it rapidly heats the surrounding air, producing a massive sound wave (thunder). As this sound travels outward, it bounces off different layers of clouds and the earth's surface at varying distances, creating the characteristic rumbling or rolling sound.
Key Points:
Lightning and thunder occur simultaneously, but we see lightning first because light travels much faster than sound.
The intense heat from a lightning bolt (up to 30,000 Kelvin) causes the air to expand explosively, generating a shock wave that turns into an acoustic sound wave.
The rolling effect is prolonged because sound waves take different amounts of time to travel to the observer after reflecting off multiple surfaces.
Important Questions and Answers:
Question: Why do we see lightning before we hear thunder?
Answer: Because the speed of light is much greater than the speed of sound.
Question: What causes the initial sound of thunder (the clap or bang)?
Answer: The sudden and explosive expansion of air heated by a lightning stroke.