One way to understand it is to look at a crack in the sidewalk (or perhaps a cracker) and compare that shape to the path of a lightning stroke through the sky. Lightning usually originates at altitudes of around ten miles, and can reach about that far horizontally. Air does not conduct electricity until it is broken down ('ionized') by a high voltage electric field. This breakdown is a random, unpredictable process that proceeds in a series of steps between the sky and the earth.
Lightning basically tries to find the path of least resistance as it travels down to the ground. But this is not always a straight line because air is not a perfect mixture. There are fluctuations in temperature, humidity, pollutants, dust particles, etc. in the air, and so the resistance varies. The path it chooses doesnβt have to be a straight line (remember, a straight line means βthe least distanceβ and not βthe least resistanceβ). In fact, you will never see a straight bolt of lightning, at least not in the real world. Does Lightning Travel Up or Down?
lightning is basically tries to find a path with least resistance as it travels down to the ground
Air is actually not a good conductor and hence when lightning strikes, it will try to take a path through ions or water droplets in the air. Hence, lightning doesn't strike straight down as ions and water molecules don't line up in a straight line in the air.
Air is actually not a good conductor and hence when lightning strikes, it will try to take a path through ions or water droplets in the air. Hence, lightning doesn't strike straight down as ions and water molecules don't line up in a straight line in the air.
Lightning basically tries to find the path of least resistance as it travels down to the ground. But this is not always a straight line because air is not a perfect mixture. There are fluctuations in temperature, humidity, pollutants, dust particles, etc. in the air, and so the resistance varies.
Lighting is an electric current. It's a flow of electrons that's about a thousand times stronger than the current in our houses.
Lightning basically tries to find the path of least resistance as it travels down to the ground.
But this is not always a straight line because air is not a perfect mixture.
There are fluctuations in temperature, humidity, pollutants, dust particles, etc. in the air, and so the resistance varies.
As a result, lightning strikes are often observed in a zigzag pattern.
Lightning basically tries to find the path of least resistance as it travels down to the ground. But this is not always a straight line because air is not a perfect mixture. There are fluctuations in temperature, humidity, pollutants, dust particles, etc. in the air, and so the resistance varies.
Static electricity doesn't travel in a straight line because it isn't always the quickest way down (or up as the case may be). Moisture can block the lightning bolt, and cause it to go slower. Therefore it finds the driest places to get through and reaches the ground quicker.
Ribbon Lightning
beaded lightning
A+ Beaded Lightning
The zig zag line is not made by thunder but by lightning. It finds the easiest path from the cloud to earth or to another cloud and this is not always straight, it would seem. The noise of thunder is made by the air, which gets heated a lot by the lightning and expands, collapsing in again rapidly after the strike.
no it does not
Yes, they do. But they sometimes travel a straight line through bent space.
no
Straight line.
it does not
no it does not
no
yes
idek
Actually it doesn't.
true
Static electricity doesn't travel in a straight line because it isn't always the quickest way down (or up as the case may be). Moisture can block the lightning bolt, and cause it to go slower. Therefore it finds the driest places to get through and reaches the ground quicker.