It may seem dangerous to be in a car during a thunderstorm, but it's actually relatively safe. Since the car is essentially a metal box, the inside of the car is electrically neutral. Why does any charge on the car move to its outside surface

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Physics

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25 May, 19:26

It may seem dangerous to be in a car during a thunderstorm, but it's actually relatively safe. Since the car is essentially a metal box, the inside of the car is electrically neutral. Why does any charge on the car move to its outside surface

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Answers (2)

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Abraham Beltran · Answer 1

The charges from the thunderstorm flow through the conductive metal

of which the vehicle is made and distribute themselves on the outside surface of the vehicle

Explanation:

It is actually safer to stay inside a car during a thunderstorm rather than standing outside the car. The reason is this, thunder passes electrical charges through a conductor. The body of the vehicle is made of a metal which is a good conductor of electricity. The charges will redistribute themselves on the body of the vehicle (a metallic conductor of electricity) hence the occupants of the car are relatively safe.

The reasons described above makes those inside the vehicle relatively safe compared to a person standing outside.

Bradyn Kramer · Answer 2

Question:

It may seem dangerous to be in a car during a thunderstorm, but it's actually relatively safe. Since the car is essentially a metal box, the inside of the car is electrically neutral. Why does any charge on the car move to its outside surface?

A) The charges flow through the conductive metal and destroy one another on the outside surface.

B) The charges flow through the conductive metal and distribute themselves on the outside surface.

C) The charges flow through the conductive metal and destroy themselves on the outside surface.

D) The charges flow through the conductive metal and create opposite charges on the outside surface to cancel out one another.

Answer:

The correct answer is C) The charges flow through the conductive metal and distribute themselves on the outside surface.

Explanation:

The question relates to a subject in Physics called Electrostatics. Electrostatics is a branch of physics that studies electric charges at rest.

This occurs because the vehicle acts like a Faraday cage. Michael Faraday, a British physicist, discovered that a metal cage would shield objects within the cage when a high potential discharge such as lightning hits the cage.

The metal (that is the car-a metal box), being a good conductor, directs the electric current around the objects and discharge it safely to the ground. This process of shielding is widely used today to protect the electrostatic sensitive integrated circuits in the electronics world.

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