Question

What is the electrical discharge from clouds to a building or a tree is called?

Answer 1

Lightning:

1. The process during which the flow of charges occurs from one body to a different body is known as Electric discharge
2. Lightning is the electrical discharge from clouds to a building or a tree and it is a natural phenomenon.
3. It occurs due to the accumulation of charges increasing in the clouds and when clouds fail to resist the discharge of charges and these charges flow to meet to balance the differences between charges.
4. For lightning to occur, a high electric potential between two regions and a high resistant medium should be present.
5. Lightning is formed when many small bits of ice collide with one another as they move around within the air by producing an electric charge.
6. It also causes thunder, a sound from the shock waves.
7. Lightning occurs before thunder since the speed of light is more than the speed of sound.
8. There are three common forms of lightning: cloud to the ground; cloud to air and cloud to cloud.
9. Most lightning will occur within the clouds.
10. The electrical discharge from clouds to a building or a tree is known as the lightning streak.
11. The trees and the Earth itself become positively charged and creates an imbalance, so nature seeks a remedy by passing a current between the two charges.

Therefore, the electrical discharge from clouds to a building or a tree is called lightning.