During a thunderstorm, the thunder in the skies is produced by the
(1)Meeting of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky
(2)Lightning that separates the nimbus clouds
(3)Violent upward movement of air and water particles
Select the correct answer using the codes given below.
Explanation
Thunder is the sound caused by lightning. The sudden increase in
pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid
expansion of the air surrounding and within a bolt of lightning. In
turn, this expansion of air creates a sonic shock wave, similar to a
sonic boom, which produces the sound of thunder The cause of
thunder has been the subject of centuries of speculation and
scientific inquiry. The first recorded theory is attributed to the
Greek philosopher Aristotle in the third century BC, and an early
speculation was that it was caused by the collision of clouds.
Subsequently, numerous other theories were proposed. By the
mid-19th century, the accepted theory was that lightning
produced a vacuum. In the 20th century a consensus evolved that
thunder must begin with a shock wave in the air due to the sudden
thermal expansion of the plasma in the lightning channel.