QUARK UNIVERSITY

What is Lightning? Lightning is the result of the build up of electrostatic charge in clouds. Positive and negative charges separate, negative usually towards the bottom of the cloud, while positive goes to the top. After a certain amount of time, the negative charge leaps, connecting with either another cloud or even the ground. Relating to electric fields, the stronger the field, the more likely lightning is attracted to the ground. If field lines are closer together the field in that area is stronger and plausibility of a lightning strike is higher. The electrical discharge from a cloud will travel the path of least resistance. In the case of hitting the ground, the strike takes a series of steps to develop. At the bottom of the cloud, where the negatively charged parts hover, a “stepped ladder” forms. This is what gives lightning its forked look. As this charge starts to head down towards the ground, it branches out, like a tree branch. As it gets closer, the negative charge b...

Direct Strike A person struck directly by lightning becomes a part of the main lightning discharge channel. Most often, direct strikes occur to victims who are in open areas. Direct strikes are not as common as the other ways people are struck by lightning, but they are potentially the most deadly. In most direct strikes, a portion of the current moves along and just over the skin surface (called flashover) and a portion of the current moves through the body–usually through the cardiovascular and/or nervous systems. The heat produced when lightning moves over the skin can produce burns, but the current moving through the body is of greatest concern. While the ability to survive any lightning strike is related to immediate medical attention, the amount of current moving through the body is also a factor. Side Flash A side flash (also called a side splash) occurs when lightning strikes a taller object near the victim and a portion of the current jumps from taller object to th...