Guest CrimsonFault Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 What is Lightning? To put it simply, lightning is electricity. It forms in the strong up-and-down air currents inside tall dark cumulonimbus clouds as water droplets, hail, and ice crystals collide with one another. Scientists believe that these collisions build up charges of electricity in a cloud. The positive and negative electrical charges in the cloud separate from one another, the negative charges dropping to the lower part of the cloud and the positive charges staying ins the middle and upper parts. Positive electrical charges also build upon the ground below. When the difference in the charges becomes large enough, a flow of electricity moves from the cloud down to the ground or from one part of the cloud to another, or from one cloud to another cloud. In typical lightning these are down-flowing negative charges, and when the positive charges on the ground leap upward to meet them, the jagged downward path of the negative charges suddenly lights up with a brilliant flash of light. Because of this, our eyes fool us into thinking that the lightning bolt shoots down from the cloud, when in fact the lightning travels up from the ground. In some cases, positive charges come to the ground from severe thunderstorms or from the anvil at the very top of a thunderstorm cloud. The whole process takes less than a millionth of a second. What Puts the Thunder in the Thunderstorm? Lightning bolts are extremely hot, with temperatures of 30,000 to 50,000 degrees F. That's hotter than the surface of the sun! When the bolt suddenly heats the air around it to such an extreme, the air instantly expands, sending out a vibration or shock wave we hear as an explosion of sound. This is thunder. If you are near the stroke of lightning you’ll hear thunder as one sharp crack. When lightning is far away, thunder sounds more like a low rumble as the sound waves reflect and echo off hillsides, buildings and trees. Depending on wind direction and temperature, you may hear thunder for up to fifteen or twenty miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sweetleftpeg 0 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Concise and informative. B+ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mags 1 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adios 717 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Very, very frightening me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15737 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 GALILEO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 175 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Very, very frightening me! 106628[/snapback] Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo Figaro - magnifico Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest alex Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Belezebub has a devil on his sideboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isegrim 9906 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Magnifico. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemmill 46088 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Renton's just a mince boy. Nobody loves him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 175 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 No, no, no, no, no, no, no Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15737 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Spare him a life with a dwarf called Wacky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo 175 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 *Repeated headbanging during guitar solo* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mags 1 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 No, no, no, no, no, no, no 106637[/snapback] (Oh mama mia, mama mia.) Mama mia, let me go. Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me, for me, for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mags 1 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 *Repeated headbanging during guitar solo* 106641[/snapback] Mental pic there and with your reputation Jimbo it's just not right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shearergol 0 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Were people late posting in this thread or something? The song isn't in the right order Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meenzer 15737 Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Fix it then! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now