Hazards of static electricity
Hazards of Static Electricity; Lightning
Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge between the electrically charged regions within clouds or between a cloud and the surface of a planet. It is the sudden high-current discharge caused by the atmosphere’s electrical breakdown. Lightning is also one of the most deadly natural phenomena known to man.
Lightning is an electric current; thus within a thundercloud up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) collide into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges.
The positive charges form at the top of the cloud and the negative charges form at the bottom of the cloud. Since opposites attract, that causes a positive charge to build up on the ground beneath the cloud. The grounds electrical charge concentrates around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, people, or single trees. The charge coming up from these points eventually connects with a charge reaching down from the clouds and lightning strikes.
Lightning is hazardous for the following reasons;
i) Lightning is the world 's most underrated weather hazard. It 's also the most unpredictable. ii) Lightning routinely kills more people every year than tornadoes or hurricanes. iii) Another reason lightning is so dangerous is because of the destructive power it carries. The average lightning bolt carries about 30,000 amps of charge, has 100 million volts of electric potential, and is hot, at about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. iv) Lightning enters the earth, travels through it and voltages are set up in the ground. One part of your body contacts one voltage, and another part of your body contacts a different voltage. The difference in voltage is what drives the current through your body.
Lightning can’t be harnessed as anything, especially an energy source because an average bolt
Lightning is a massive electrostatic discharge between the electrically charged regions within clouds or between a cloud and the surface of a planet. It is the sudden high-current discharge caused by the atmosphere’s electrical breakdown. Lightning is also one of the most deadly natural phenomena known to man.
Lightning is an electric current; thus within a thundercloud up in the sky, many small bits of ice (frozen raindrops) collide into each other as they move around in the air. All of those collisions create an electric charge. After a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges.
The positive charges form at the top of the cloud and the negative charges form at the bottom of the cloud. Since opposites attract, that causes a positive charge to build up on the ground beneath the cloud. The grounds electrical charge concentrates around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, people, or single trees. The charge coming up from these points eventually connects with a charge reaching down from the clouds and lightning strikes.
Lightning is hazardous for the following reasons;
i) Lightning is the world 's most underrated weather hazard. It 's also the most unpredictable. ii) Lightning routinely kills more people every year than tornadoes or hurricanes. iii) Another reason lightning is so dangerous is because of the destructive power it carries. The average lightning bolt carries about 30,000 amps of charge, has 100 million volts of electric potential, and is hot, at about 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit. iv) Lightning enters the earth, travels through it and voltages are set up in the ground. One part of your body contacts one voltage, and another part of your body contacts a different voltage. The difference in voltage is what drives the current through your body.
Lightning can’t be harnessed as anything, especially an energy source because an average bolt
References: Can lightning be used to make electricity? (n.d.). Retrieved from http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_lightning_be_used_to_make_electricity?#slide=5 FENLON, W. (2012, March 30). How Laser Beams Can Trigger and Control Lightning Bolts - Tested. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.tested.com/science/earth/43667-how-laser-beams-can-trigger-and-control-lightning-bolts/ Santoso, A. (2012, March 30). Scientists Can Now Control Lightning Strikes with Laser - Neatorama. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.neatorama.com/2012/03/30/scientists-can-now-control-lightning-strikes-with-laser/#!vDPv3 U.S. Severe Weather Map. (n.d.). About Lightning | Weather Underground. Retrieved February 13, 2014, from http://www.wunderground.com/resources/education/lightning.asp