Show of Hands

They both come from Thor's hammer

One is lightning, the other is the sound of lightning.

Lightning is what you see, thunder is what you hear. The occurrence is an electrical discharge.

You're so cool and edgy

Lightning is the static discharge resulting in the creation of a highly ionized streak of air (plasma). Thunder is the sonic boom resulting from the ionized air breaking the sound barrier. So they're separate things, but very much causally linked.

Two different things. One is thunder, the other is lightening.

One is thunder, the other is the visualization of thunder

Early bird - keeping science simple thank you!

They are objectively different aspects of the same thing. You can't have one without the other.

One is chocolate and coconut, the other is chocolate and coconut with almonds.

Oh wait, were we talking about Mounds and Almond Joy?

You win

An electrical discharge releases energy that makes a light and causes sound. No, they're not interchangeably exactly the same, but they're both different aspects of the same thing—the lightning is what is seen, and the thunder is what is heard. Like when something explodes—there's light and fire (visual) as well as a boom (audible), and while they're not identical, they're still both part of the explosion.

Another example is when someone hits a drum. You see the impact of the drumstick on the drum and the vibration of the drum, and you hear the pitch of the drum. It's all still a beat of the drum.

They are the same occurrence; the only reason we experience them separately is because sound travels slower than light.

I mean lightning is lightning. Thunder is the sound of lightning. They're different things in the same sense that a cat and its 'meow' are different things.

Ok all you pretend scientist wanna be scientists I'm waiting for your really long sciencey explanations (which I won't read) displaying your massive brainpower please enlighten us all

One is the visual, the other is the audio.

🌧💥⚡️

Does this question confuse the hell out of anyone else?

We could expand on this philosophical question even further:

"Is every thing a different thing or a different aspect of the same thing starting from the big bang?"

Without lightning there cannot be thunder. And whether you hear it or not every lightning strike produces thunder. They can only exist together. For this reason I would consider then to be aspects of the same thing.

I see and hear a movie but the audio and visual are essentially the same thing - the movie. I can turn away or mute it but the other is still there, I'm just not experiencing it.

Lightning cant exist in a vacuum either

While I realize they are different aspects of the same thing, I think of them as different things.

Sometime there's lighting with no thunder

That's like asking whether the flash and the bang of an explosion are aspects of the same thing or different. It's two effects of the same thing, in this question a lightning strike.

I know intellectually they are just different aspects of the same thing...when I stop and think about it, but as it is occurring I think of them separately...most of the time.

Would lightning in a vacuum be accompanied by thunder?🤔 I think not so I would have to say separate. But my first inclination was the same because they are both a result of one electrical discharge experienced through different mediums.

I think of them as two separate things, but I understand their relationship.

Do you hear the thunder oh can you see the Lightning? We have angered God and now the heavens are all fighting. That's the only conceivable reason for this storm - we must make amends and sacrifice all our first born.

You just took this question to a whole 'nother level

And now that I'm reading posts....I'm rethinking the whole thing....hmmm

Who are you talking to? You're the first person to bring up vacuum cleaners

Sorry I'm exhausted and totally misread your original message...

Same cause ...two things!

Anytime, crawdaddy. Anytime.

I've heard thunder with no lightning, but I've never seen lightning with no thunder.

Technically speaking, they are two things. The Lightning itself has no sound. What creates thunder is the immense power of a lightning bolt literally exploding the space around them, causing the air itself to explode; thus making thunder

When I was little, I used to think thunder was from the angels bowling with god, and lightning was when God got a gutterball. LMAO.

Uh, seriously. Thunder is produced by the Lightning but it's not the same thing. One is electricity and the other sound. That's like saying jet noise and jets are the same thing.

the drum. Idk why the last line is missing there.

It's the same thing, you can see and then hear it.

Thunder is expanding air that is produced by lightning. Lightning is electricity.

Lmao I dont think they were talking about a vacuum cleaner 😂

>from the lightning bolt
There's where the "same occurrence" argument comes in, they have a cause and effect relationship.

Lighting is what you see. Thunder is what you here

I'd really like the opinion of @firefly5

Please let this be sarcasm

I think so too. We see lightning first because light travels faster than sound, roughly a mile a second. So after the lightning is sighted, say one thousand one, one thousand two etc. and when you hear the thunder, that's how far away it is. Do it again for next lightning and you will know if it's getting closer or further away.

Thunder is sound that lightning makes. They are not different things.

One is an electrical discharge, the other is sound. They are most certainly not the same; the thunder is caused by the lightning, never the other way around.