Lightning occurs when there is a flow of electric charge (principally electrons) between the ground and a thundercloud. assume that the rate of charge flow in a lightning bolt is about 24000 c/s and this lasts for 105 µs or less. how much charge flows between the ground and the cloud in this time?

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Physics

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16 December, 04:35

Lightning occurs when there is a flow of electric charge (principally electrons) between the ground and a thundercloud. assume that the rate of charge flow in a lightning bolt is about 24000 c/s and this lasts for 105 µs or less. how much charge flows between the ground and the cloud in this time?

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Alvaro Brock · Answer 1

Given:

The rate of charge flow in the lightning bolt is 24000 C/s = 24*10³ C/s.

Duration of charge flow = 105 μs = 105*10⁻⁶ s

By definition, the current flow is

I = (24*10³) / (105*10⁻⁶) = 2.286*10⁸ A = 228.6 MA (mega amps)

Answer: 228.6 MA