What is Lightning? Learning About Lightning Information
You must have seen the lightning flashing in the sky before or during the rain. Often when the sky is overcast and there is a strong wind, lightning flashes. Lightning is seen flashing before the rain or even in the middle of the rain. Come, why does the lightning flash?
There is moisture in the clouds. This moisture is in the form of very fine particles of water in the clouds. There is friction between air and water particles. Friction generates electricity and the water particles become charged. Some clusters of clouds are positive and some are negatively charged. When positively and negatively charged clouds come close to each other, they collide, producing very high-power lightning. This causes the electric current to move in the air between the two types of clouds. The flow of electric current produces a bright flash of light. This glow in the sky usually arises only at a height of two-ton kilometres. After this glow is generated, we also hear the thunder of clouds. There is a close relationship between lightning and thunder.
Lightning Falling on the Ground
Why do Clouds Thunder Only After Lightning Strikes?
A lot of heat is produced by the current flowing in the air. Due to the heat in the air, it expands very fast and millions of its molecules collide with each other. The sound of thunder is produced when these molecules collide with each other. At the higher speed of light, we see the flash of lightning earlier. Since the speed of sound is less than the speed of light, the thunder of clouds reaches us late.
Types of Lightning
There are various ways by which lightning is caused. Some of these are:
1. Single Cloud Lightning: There is no sound in this type of lightning, in which the positive charge in the same cloud collects above and the negative charge below, and gets scattered among themselves. Due to this, there is only a little lightning in the sky.
2. Cloud to Cloud Lightning: In this, two different cloud-positive clouds get attracted by the negative cloud and become short. Due to this the sound also comes with a very loud brightness. But it also does not fall on the ground.
Cloud to Cloud Lightning
3. Falling to the Ground: In this, there is an interaction between the cloud to the ground. In this lightning clouds with a negative charge fall on the ground searching for a positive charge which is called lightning. This type of lighting is the most dangerous.
Lightning Falling on the Ground
Effects of Lighting
Direct Strike Thunderbolt - Direct Strike Thunderbolt can strike the victim directly. This situation is very dangerous.
Contact Injury - This condition occurs when lightning strikes an object, car or metal pole with which the victim is touching. A person suffering from such a condition can be seriously injured.
Side Flash - This occurs when lightning is scattered or collides with an object. Due to which the object of a tree or pole etc. may fall on the victim.
Ground Current - This occurs when lightning strikes the ground near the victim and the ground current strikes the victim through the ground.
Streamers - When lightning or thunder charges the air, energy impacts or streamers can come up from objects near the ground, sometimes these streamers go upwards through people. causing harm to the victims.
Explosion Injury - Due to the explosion effect of electricity, the victim can be thrown far from the site, due to which he can be seriously hurt.
Lightning Falling on the Trees
Solved Questions
1. Write True or False.
Cloud-to-cloud lightning directly falls on the ground. - False
There is no sound in a single cloud of lightning. - True
The speed of sound is less than the speed of light. - True
Lightning is not dangerous for us. - False
2. Why should we protect ourselves against lightning?
Ans: The lightning that falls is of 100 million volts, in which 10000-ampere current runs. Our body cannot tolerate this much current at all and it can kill us if it falls directly on us. So It can be very dangerous for us. We should protect ourselves against it.
Learning by Doing
Kids Activity: Salt and Pepper Static Electricity Experiment
Materials: A shallow bowl, Salt, Pepper, Spoon and Plastic comb.
Instructions:
Put some salt and pepper in a bowl and mix it well.
Run a plastic comb through the hair to give it a steady charge.
(By the way, we found that if one person charges the comb and then hands it to another person, it doesn't stay charged. The person who wants to use it must also be the one to charge the comb.)
Place the statically charged comb over the bowl, and the comb will attract the pepper causing it to jump out of the bowl. (It was amazing to see! You can see tiny bits of pepper flying to the comb.)
Summary
In this chapter, we have studied many things related to Lighting. Now, you must have understood what lighting is and its causes and many important things related to lighting. We have also seen the types of lighting in this chapter. There are mostly three important types of lightning: cloud-to-cloud lightning, single cloud lightning, and falling to the ground lightning. Lastly, we had done one activity which helps you to understand static electricity.
FAQs on Lightning Facts for Kids
1. What is lightning, in simple terms for kids?
Lightning is a giant spark of static electricity in the sky. Imagine rubbing a balloon on your hair and seeing it stick – that's static electricity. During a storm, tiny ice and water particles in clouds bump into each other, creating a massive electrical charge. When this charge gets big enough, it jumps to the ground or to another cloud as a bright, powerful flash we call lightning.
2. What are some amazing facts about lightning for kids?
Here are some incredible facts about lightning that show its power:
Super Hot: A single bolt of lightning can be five times hotter than the surface of the sun.
Super Fast: Lightning moves at an incredible speed, about 30,000 times faster than a bullet.
Happens Often: Around the world, lightning strikes the Earth about 100 times every single second.
Makes Thunder: The sound of thunder is created by the rapid heating of air caused by a lightning flash.
3. Why does lightning happen during a storm?
Lightning happens because storm clouds act like giant batteries in the sky. Inside a tall cumulonimbus (storm) cloud, rushing air causes water droplets and ice crystals to collide. This creates static charges. Lighter, positive charges (+) rise to the top of the cloud, while heavier, negative charges (-) sink to the bottom. The ground below becomes positively charged. When the difference in charge becomes too great, nature finds a path to balance it, releasing a massive amount of energy as a lightning bolt.
4. What is the difference between thunder and lightning?
Thunder and lightning are created at the exact same time by the same event, but we see and hear them at different times. Lightning is the bright flash of electricity that we see. This flash is incredibly hot and instantly heats the air around it, causing the air to expand explosively. This rapid expansion creates a powerful sound wave, which we hear as thunder. We always see lightning before we hear thunder because light travels much faster than sound.
5. How can we stay safe when there is lightning?
The most important rule is: When thunder roars, go indoors! A sturdy building or a hard-topped car are safe places. Here are some key safety tips:
Avoid open fields, hilltops, and tall, isolated trees.
Stay away from water, including pools, lakes, and even puddles.
Do not touch metal objects like fences or poles.
Inside, avoid using corded phones, computers, and other electrical equipment plugged into the wall.
6. Can lightning strike the same place twice?
Yes, it absolutely can. This is a common myth. Lightning is most attracted to the tallest and most conductive path to the ground. Tall structures like the Empire State Building in New York City or the CN Tower in Toronto get struck by lightning dozens of times every year. Lightning does not “remember” where it has been and will always seek the easiest path to discharge its energy.
7. What are the different types of lightning?
While we usually think of lightning hitting the ground, there are three main types:
Cloud-to-Ground (CG): This is the most famous and most dangerous type. It is a discharge between a storm cloud and the ground.
Intra-Cloud (IC): This is the most common type. It happens when lightning flashes occur entirely within a single storm cloud, jumping between different charged regions.
Cloud-to-Cloud (CC): This is when lightning jumps from one cloud to another cloud.
