The sound of thunder from a bolt of lightning was heard 2.6 seconds after the lightning hit, from 895 meters away. What was the speed of sound to the nearest tenth of a meter per second?

Question

29.1 meters per second
34.4 meters per second
290.5 meters per second
344.2 meters per second

Answer 1

To find the speed of sound, we can use the formula:

\[ \text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} \]

Here, the distance is 895 meters and the time taken is 2.6 seconds.

Now, substituting the values into the formula:

\[ \text{Speed} = \frac{895 \text{ meters}}{2.6 \text{ seconds}} \approx 344.230769 \text{ meters per second} \]

Rounding this to the nearest tenth gives:

\[ \text{Speed} \approx 344.2 \text{ meters per second} \]

Thus, the speed of sound is 344.2 meters per second.