Table of Contents
What is the sudden discharge of electricity in a storm?
A sudden discharge of electrical energy in the atmosphere, a lightning bolt is accompanied by a clap of thunder, and for this reason is also known as a thunderbolt.
What is electricity from a storm called?
Lightning is an electrical discharge caused by imbalances between storm clouds and the ground, or within the clouds themselves. Most lightning occurs within the clouds. “Sheet lightning” describes a distant bolt that lights up an entire cloud base.
What is a sudden discharge of static electricity during a thunderstorm called?
Description: By definition, lightning is a sudden electrostatic discharge during an electrical storm. Although lightning is always accompanied by the sound of thunder, distant lightning may be seen but be too far away for the thunder to be heard.
Which is a sudden electrical discharge in the atmosphere?
Lightning is a naturally occurring electrostatic discharge during which two electrically charged regions, both in the atmosphere or with one on the ground, temporarily equalize themselves, causing the instantaneous release of an average of one gigajoule of energy.
What causes electrical storms?
In an electrical storm, the storm clouds are charged like giant capacitors in the sky. The newly knocked-off electrons gather at the lower portion of the cloud, giving it a negative charge. The rising moisture that has just lost an electron carries a positive charge to the top of the cloud.
When static discharge happens in the atmosphere what is is called?
Static electricity is an imbalance of electric charges within or on the surface of a material. The charge remains until it is able to move away by means of electric discharge. The static electricity produced by charged particles in the atmosphere is known as atmospheric electricity.
What is flow of protons called?
However, protons can flow in a plasma. In that case, the flow of protons is also called an “electric current.” By convention, the direction of flow of electric current is opposite the direction of electron flow. In a plasma, if protons are moving, the resulting current is in the same direction as proton flow.