JASON Mission Center : Distance to a Thunderstorm

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From: Monster Storms Mission 3: The Chase (pp: 55)

Distance to a Thunderstorm

In this lab activity, students use a chart to determine the distance to a thunderstorm based on observations of thunder and lightning.

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time differnce between thunder and lightning chart

When on a chase, Tim Samaras has to know whether a storm is headed toward him or moving away from him—after all, he has to deploy his probes in the right place to collect that elusive tornado data!

You also need to know where storms are, particularly if you’re going to be outside when one is brewing. In this lab, you will use the information in the table to determine distance to a thunderstorm. After you are comfortable with determining the distance to a thunderstorm, you will go online to view real thunderstorms and apply what you have learned.

Materials

Lab 2 Data Sheet	paper and pencil
Internet access	stopwatch or a clock with a second hand

Caution!
If you are outside during a storm and you hear thunder, the storm is within 16 km (10 mi) and you could be in danger. Find shelter and wait for 30 minutes after the last thunderclap before going outside. Lightning strikes, on average, kill 80 people and injure over 300 people per year in the United States.

Lab Prep

Use the data in the table above to determine the distance to a thunderstorm.

You see lightning hit a hilltop that is 3 km away. About how long will the thunder take to reach you?
You see lightning and then hear thunder 14 seconds later. How far away was the lightning?
Using the data table above, construct three problems for a classmate to solve. The questions should ask how to determine either the distance to a thunderstorm or the time it will take for you to hear thunder if you know the distance to the lightning strike. Try to use values not listed in the table. Is there a pattern you can use to figure out the answer without the table?

Make Observations

Go to the JASON Mission Center and view the Thunderstorm video clip. Use data from the table, lightning strikes that you see, and thunderclaps that you hear in the video to determine how far the storm is from the person recording it.

What is the distance to the storm at the start of the clip? In the middle? At the end?

Interpret Data

Design a procedure that will allow you to use the lightning strikes seen in the Thunderstorm video clip to track the distance to the storm and its relative direction.

When is the storm coming toward you or moving away from you? How do you know?
What calculations do you need to do?
What data do you need to collect to make your calculations?

Journal Question
Tim is doing research to determine how lightning forms. Based on the Mission Briefing you’ve been reading and the Connection article “Lightning: A Monster Transfer of Energy,” what data must Tim collect to help him solve this mystery?

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