Also how close should my lights be? I have 2 40 watt 48" flourescents in a shoplight thing and my sprouts about 1" tall. I read one source that said to hang about 3" from plants. My mother, who is a soil gardener, says this will "cook" the plants. I don't believe her because they are pretty cool to touch. So how far above my tomato sprouts should I hang them?

Your mom is wrong. The closer you can get the better. One inch is the standard wisdom, and it works quite well.