Problem 56348. Calculate the Distance to Source of Lightning

Created by Meg Noah

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<div style = "text-align: start; line-height: 20.44px; min-height: 0px; white-space: normal; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, monospace; font-style: normal; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none solid rgb(0, 0, 0); white-space: normal; "><div style="block-size: 298.312px; display: block; min-width: 0px; padding-block-start: 0px; padding-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 407px 149.15px; transform-origin: 407px 149.156px; vertical-align: baseline; "><div style="block-size: 84px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; margin-block-end: 9px; margin-block-start: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-inline-end: 10px; margin-inline-start: 4px; margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; perspective-origin: 384px 42px; text-align: left; transform-origin: 384px 42px; white-space: pre-wrap; margin-left: 4px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-right: 10px; "><span style="block-size: auto; display: inline; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-inline-end: 0px; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 0px 0px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; "><span style="">Lightning discharge heats air rapidly with lightning channels reaching temperatures of up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 5 times hotter than the surface of the Sun!).  The rapid expansion followed by rapid contraction of the air in the lightning channel creates sound waves known as 'thunder'.   Thunder can be heard for a distance of about 10 miles from the lightning strike.</span></span></div><div style="block-size: 21px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; margin-block-end: 9px; margin-block-start: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-inline-end: 10px; margin-inline-start: 4px; margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; perspective-origin: 384px 10.5px; text-align: left; transform-origin: 384px 10.5px; white-space: pre-wrap; margin-left: 4px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-right: 10px; "><span style="block-size: auto; display: inline; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-inline-end: 0px; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 0px 0px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; "><span style="">Thunder, which traves about a mile in 5 seconds, has different characteristics:</span></span></div><ul style="block-size: 61.3125px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; list-style-type: square; margin-block-end: 20px; margin-block-start: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-top: 10px; perspective-origin: 391px 30.65px; transform-origin: 391px 30.6562px; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 20px; "><li style="block-size: 20.4375px; display: list-item; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-inline-start: 56px; margin-left: 56px; margin-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 363px 10.2125px; text-align: left; transform-origin: 363px 10.2188px; white-space: pre-wrap; margin-left: 56px; "><span style="block-size: auto; display: inline; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-left: 0px; perspective-origin: 0px 0px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; "><span style="">Loud boom from the main channel reaching the ground</span></span></li><li style="block-size: 20.4375px; display: list-item; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-inline-start: 56px; margin-left: 56px; margin-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 363px 10.2125px; text-align: left; transform-origin: 363px 10.2188px; white-space: pre-wrap; margin-left: 56px; "><span style="block-size: auto; display: inline; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-left: 0px; perspective-origin: 0px 0px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; "><span style="">Sharp cracks and clicks as the channel passes near you</span></span></li><li style="block-size: 20.4375px; display: list-item; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-inline-start: 56px; margin-left: 56px; margin-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 363px 10.2125px; text-align: left; transform-origin: 363px 10.2188px; white-space: pre-wrap; margin-left: 56px; "><span style="block-size: auto; display: inline; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-left: 0px; perspective-origin: 0px 0px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; "><span style="">Low rumbles as the channel travels farther and farther from you</span></span></li></ul><div style="block-size: 42px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; margin-block-end: 9px; margin-block-start: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-inline-end: 10px; margin-inline-start: 4px; margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; perspective-origin: 384px 21px; text-align: left; transform-origin: 384px 21px; white-space: pre-wrap; margin-left: 4px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-right: 10px; "><span style="block-size: auto; display: inline; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-inline-end: 0px; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 0px 0px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; "><span style="">The number of seconds between first seeing the flash of lightning and then hearing sound of thunder, divided by 5, is the distances to the lightning in miles: 5 seconds = 1 mile, 15 seconds = 3 miles, 0 seconds = very close.</span></span></div><div style="block-size: 42px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 21px; margin-block-end: 9px; margin-block-start: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-inline-end: 10px; margin-inline-start: 4px; margin-left: 4px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 2px; perspective-origin: 384px 21px; text-align: left; transform-origin: 384px 21px; white-space: pre-wrap; margin-left: 4px; margin-top: 2px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-right: 10px; "><span style="block-size: auto; display: inline; margin-block-end: 0px; margin-block-start: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-inline-end: 0px; margin-inline-start: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; perspective-origin: 0px 0px; transform-origin: 0px 0px; "><span style="">Write a program that takes the time delay, in seconds, between the time first seeing the the flash of lightning and the time first hearing the thunder, and outputs the distance to the lightning in miles.</span></span></div></div></div>

Lightning discharge heats air rapidly with lightning channels reaching temperatures of up to 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit (which is 5 times hotter than the surface of the Sun!).  The rapid expansion followed by rapid contraction of the air in the lightning channel creates sound waves known as 'thunder'.   Thunder can be heard for a distance of about 10 miles from the lightning strike.
Thunder, which traves about a mile in 5 seconds, has different characteristics:
Loud boom from the main channel reaching the ground
Sharp cracks and clicks as the channel passes near you
Low rumbles as the channel travels farther and farther from you
The number of seconds between first seeing the flash of lightning and then hearing sound of thunder, divided by 5, is the distances to the lightning in miles: 5 seconds = 1 mile, 15 seconds = 3 miles, 0 seconds = very close.
Write a program that takes the time delay, in seconds, between the time first seeing the the flash of lightning and the time first hearing the thunder, and outputs the distance to the lightning in miles.

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Last Solution submitted on Apr 19, 2023

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Problem 56348. Calculate the Distance to Source of Lightning

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