Introduction to lightning - class-VIII

Benjamin Franklin, an American scientist, discovered that lightning and spark from your clothes during winters are same phenomena. Electric spark on large scale is known as lightning.

Lightning is a natural phenomenon, which occurs when two clouds strike with each other and produce huge amount of electricity.

Lightning is electrical discharge. The sparks caused in machines due to friction are out of local heating and not connected to electrical discharge.

Nitrogen is helpful, as all life is dependent on it. Protein in body is made up of nitrogen. To break nitrogen, huge amount of energy is required. This energy is only provided by natural lightning.

During huge rain, thunderstorm and strong wind, sparks are observed on an electric post.

The fact that lightning and spark are essentially the same phenomena, was discovered in 1752.

Electric spark is the electrical discharge that occurs when sufficiently high electric field creates an ionised channel.

There are only 3 types of lightning:

• Intra-cloud (IC)
  
• Cloud to Cloud (CC)
  
• Cloud to Ground (CG)
  

Electric sparks, small or large, are caused when electric poles are shaken by wind, amber is rubbed with fur and woollen, polyester clothes are taken off.

Due to accumulation of charges in cloud in large amount ,the air present near the cloud being non-conductive,no more resists the flow of charges and lightning takes place.

This statement is false. Earthquake and lightning are two exclusive natural phenomena having no connection between each other.

Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by the buildup of static electricity in clouds. The movement of negative charges between clouds or between a cloud and the ground creates the spark.

Energy in the lightning can break the strong bond between the nitrogen molecules. Atoms separated are than free to combine with other elements. Proteins forms the building block of life is composed of nitrogen, carbon and oxygen.

Forest fires caused by lightning can clear underbrush and release nutrients into the soil, which often promotes the growth of new, healthy vegetation and specific fire-adapted plant species.

Explanation: Lightning causes large electric discharge in the atmosphere resulting in the formation on $\displaystyle { O } _{ 3 }$, i.e., Ozone from $\displaystyle { O } _{ 2 }$. Ozone layer is very helpful for protecting the atmosphere.

When a switch is put off, between two conducting plates inside, an electrical discharge occurs. This phenomenon is similar to lightning between the clouds.

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