Take the tour ×  In other words, what is the similarity between
a lightning bolt and a wobbling sheet that make them sound
alike?  It seems to me that the two systems have a much
different way of moving the air, and probably if you could hear
it up close, a lightning bolt wouldn't make the sound of a
wobbly metal sheet. I think maybe the many reflections and how
they interact with the cylindrical shape of the thunder-
wavefront may be what gives the similarity. What do you think?
share|improve this question I suppose I would first want to know
if the two sounds are actually similar in terms of waveform
analysis. I agree that they sound similar to my ear, but perhaps
this is just an artifact of human perception. –  Tim Goodman Aug
15 '12 at 21:46 That is a good point. I'm not sure how to reason
about that aspect of the problem besides assuming it's a small
effect and that the spectrum is indeed similar (at least in a
certain range of frequencies, 20-20000Hz as is our hearing
range). –  Ryan Thorngren Aug 15 '1