The document discusses various topics related to lightning: - Lightning is a natural electrical discharge between clouds or between clouds and the ground, accompanied by a bright flash and thunder. It originates from static electricity generated in thunderclouds. - The average lightning bolt carries 30,000 amperes of current and transfers 500 mega joules of energy. Positive lightning carries significantly more charge and voltage. - While harnessing lightning's energy is theoretically possible, no practical method has been found due to the unpredictability of strikes and difficulty guiding them.

1. Samantha Alves
1. What is lightning?
The occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage between a
cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also thunder. "a
tremendous flash of lightning"
2. Where does a lightning originated?
Lightning originates from the atoms and molecules in the clouds. It originates in thunder clouds.
Tiny ice crystals in the cloud generate static electricity as they collide. The static charge builds until it is
too strong to be contained within the cloud - and we see the resulting discharge as lightning.
3. How ‘powerful’ is a lightning bolt?
An average bolt of negative lightning carries an electric current of 30,000 amperes (30 kA), and transfers
15 coulombs of electric charge and 500 mega joules of energy. Positive lightning strikes typically carry
six to ten times the charge and voltage difference of a negative bolt.
4. Can lightning’s energy be caught stored, and used?
Of course, this is possible in theory. However, no practical (commercially sensible) way to harness this
energy has been found so far. Perhaps you can come up with something. If lightning could be fully
harnessed, the energy captured could power the world. The energy in every lightning event is huge and
scientists have been seeking ways to capture the energy. There are two problems that have not been
overcome and prevent lightning being useful. The first is that the location of lightning is unpredictable.
There is little point in mounting a lighting capture device (if one existed) in a location to find that
lightning does not strike in that location. Guiding a lightning strike is in the same order of difficulty as
taming a hurricane or altering the tides. Energy can be stored in batteries. These can be used to produce
lights. Flash light for example.
5. How many people are killed by lightning per year?
Each year on Earth there are 1.4 billion Lightning strikes. An estimated 10,000 people are killed by
lightning strikes around the world each year and about 100,000 are injured. According to the National
Weather service, from 1959 to 2003 lightning killed 3,696 people in the United States. Of those, 425 were
in the Sunshine State (Florida).
6. What can you do to prevent yourself from being struck by lightning?
Don’t use cell phone or electronic gadget when its lightning.
7. Some people have been hit by lightning many times. Why have they survived?
They happen to be in the right position wherein the ionized particles travel along their skin to the ground
without passing thru key body parts such as heart or brain.
8. How many bushfires are started by lightning strikes?
About 3000 per year.
9. ‘Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.’ Is this a myth or a fact? It's a myth. In fact lightning
favors certain spots, particularly high locations. The Empire State Building is struck about 25 times every
year. Ben Franklin grasped the concept long ago and mounted a metal rod atop the roof of his home, then
ran a wire to the ground, thereby inventing the lightning rod.
10. What are lightning rods? How do they function?
A positively charged lightning rod provides a way for the negative charge built up along the bottom of the
cloud to become grounded. Therefore the lightning is attracted to the lightning rod since the negative
charge is constantly trying to find a way to disperse into either the ground or a positive charge. Since the
lightning rod is the highest point in the area, it attracts the negative ions from the cloud, while the cloud
retains the positive ones. Hence, there is a chain of ions existing between the cloud and the lightning rod,
allowing there to be a conductor between the two. As the lightning strikes, it hits the lightning rod, and is
carried safely into the ground.

2. 1. What is lightning?
The occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high voltage
between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright flash and typically also
thunder. "a tremendous flash of lightning"
2. Where does a lightning originated?
Lightning originates from the atoms and molecules in the clouds. It originates in thunder
clouds. Tiny ice crystals in the cloud generate static electricity as they collide. The static charge
builds until it is too strong to be contained within the cloud - and we see the resulting discharge as
lightning.
3. How ‘powerful’ is a lightning bolt?
An average bolt of negative lightning carries an electric current of 30,000 amperes (30 kA),
and transfers 15 coulombs of electric charge and 500 mega joules of energy. Positive lightning
strikes typically carry six to ten times the charge and voltage difference of a negative bolt.
4. Can lightning’s energy be caught stored, and used?
Of course, this is possible in theory. However, no practical (commercially sensible) way to
harness this energy has been found so far. Perhaps you can come up with something. If lightning
could be fully harnessed, the energy captured could power the world. The energy in every lightning
event is huge and scientists have been seeking ways to capture the energy. There are two problems
that have not been overcome and prevent lightning being useful. The first is that the location of
lightning is unpredictable. There is little point in mounting a lighting capture device (if one existed)
in a location to find that lightning does not strike in that location. Guiding a lightning strike is in the
same order of difficulty as taming a hurricane or altering the tides. Energy can be stored in
batteries. These can be used to produce lights. Flash light for example.
5. How many people are killed by lightning per year?
Each year on Earth there are 1.4 billion Lightning strikes. An estimated 10,000 people are killed
by lightning strikes around the world each year and about 100,000 are injured. According to the
National Weather service, from 1959 to 2003 lightning killed 3,696 people in the United States. Of
those, 425 were in the Sunshine State (Florida).
6. What can you do to prevent yourself from being struck by lightning?
Don’t use cell phone or electronic gadget when its lightning.
7. Some people have been hit by lightning many times. Why have they survived?
They happen to be in the right position wherein the ionized particles travel along their skin to
the ground without passing thru key body parts such as heart or brain.
8. How many bushfires are started by lightning strikes?
About 3000 per year.
9. ‘Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.’ Is this a myth or a fact? It's a myth. In
fact lightning favors certain spots, particularly high locations. The Empire State Building is struck
about 25 times every year. Ben Franklin grasped the concept long ago and mounted a metal rod atop
the roof of his home, then ran a wire to the ground, thereby inventing the lightning rod.
10. What are lightning rods? How do they function?
A positively charged lightning rod provides a way for the negative charge built up along the
bottom of the cloud to become grounded. Therefore the lightning is attracted to the lightning rod
since the negative charge is constantly trying to find a way to disperse into either the ground or a
positive charge. Since the lightning rod is the highest point in the area, it attracts the negative ions
from the cloud, while the cloud retains the positive ones. Hence, there is a chain of ions existing

3. between the cloud and the lightning rod, allowing there to be a conductor between the two. As the
lightning strikes, it hits the lightning rod, and is carried safely into the ground.
Allea Leisha S. Cruz
7- Agility