In storm clouds, tiny particles in the cloud move around picking up positive or negative energy charges, like when shoes scuff a rug. The positive charged particles stay light, and rise to the top of the cloud. The negative charged particles get heavier, and collect at the bottom of the cloud.
As more particles become charged, they divide into opposing groups in the cloud. When the power of attraction between them gets too great, the particles discharge their energy at each other, completing a path for electricity to travel through the air. We call this flow of electricity lightning.
It's the negative charges in the bottom of the cloud that cause lightning to strike the ground. When the negatively charged particles group together, they begin to seek out positive charges from the ground below. The excess electrons create a channel of charged air called a leader that reaches down to the ground below. The leaders attract other charged ground-based channels called streamers.
When the stepped leader from the cloud meets a returning streamer from the ground, the path is ready. An electrical current called the return stroke, travels back up the path. This return stroke releases tremendous energy, bright light and thunder.
The typical stroke can last only 30 milliseconds, so four to five strokes may happen in the blink of an eye. Despite the old saying, lightning does strike the same place twice.
As clouds are formed and circulate, negatively and positively charged ions segregate within the cloud. Lightning is the discharge of this ionization energy from cloud to cloud or to the Earth's surface. Normally lightning involves the negatively-charged ions at the bottom of a cloud, which discharge to objects on the ground which have accumulated a positive charge. The discharge is normally across air, which when dry does not readily conduct ionic flow. The mechanism for lightning includes a "step leader" of positive ions, which establishes a lower-resistance channel for the more energetic negative ions to flash back to the ground. More rarely, a large discharge of positive ions may flow directly to negatively-charged ground. Benjamin Franklin theorized that lightning could be prevented or directed to the ground by establishing a safer, ready path for such discharges, which is a lightning rod. A metal bar atop a structure is connected to a large-gauge conducting wire from the rod to the ground.
A single lightning bolt may consist of several of downward and upward releases of energy within less than a second.
It is produced by collections of positive and negative charges in the air, in clouds, and on the ground. Lightning is a discharge of electrical current from one location to another, either cloud-to-cloud or cloud-to-ground.
As water droplets bump in to each other and increase in size they become so strong that electricity runs through the air between the cloud and the ground in the form of a giant spark or lightning bolt
When warm and cold air collide, it brings together ice crystals and water droplets. They rub together and create static electricity. The positive ions go to the top of the cloud, while the negative ions go to the bottom. When enough negative ions gather together, the cloud gives off energy to a positively charged place, and it takes the form of lightning.
A lightning is an electrical discharge - so, basically, a large-scale spark - between clouds and Earth, or between clouds. There is permanent a voltage of several million volts between the upper atmosphere and the ground.
due to the friction between ice particles and water droplets, the ice lose electrons to the water droplets which causes the electrostatic shock and lightning is produced
positive and negative charges move from the clowd to the earth with the fome of lightning
It is not. Lightning is produced by electricity.
No. Thunder is the sound produced by lightning. Lightning is a form of electricity.
An atmospheric discharge of static electricity is called lightning.
No. Lightning is static electricity.
Lightning in itself IS static electricity. The only difference between lightning and the little zap you feel when you rub your feet on your carpet and touch something metal is that Lightning is MILLIONS of times more powerful.
Yes, the amount of electricity in lightning does equal 1.21 Jigawats
Lightning is known as a bright flash of electricity produced by a thunderstorm.
Lightning is just basically the visual effect of electricity itself that is produced on you. Lightning is electricity!
No. Thunder is the sound produced by lightning. Lightning is a form of electricity.
An atmospheric discharge of static electricity is called lightning.
Lightning doesn't become electricity. Lightning already is electricity.
Lightning is an example of static electricity
Yes, a lightning bolt can provide electricity because a lightning bolt is electricity.
The term "electricity" is derived from a term used by William Gilbert in 1600 to describe static electricity. The discovery that lightning is electrical was made by Benjamin Franklin in 1759.
Electricity is like static and lightning and is produced when something as a negative charge (more -electrons than +protons) Electronics are usually devices that are powered by electricity
The word lightning is a noun. It is a flash of light in the sky produced by electricity within a cloud.
Many, many, many things. He is most famous for discovering electricity and inventing bifocals, the Franklin stove, and the lightning rod.
No. Lightning is static electricity.