How does a lightning bolt form?

Answer 1

Lightning is caused by electric charges releasing energy. When the denser (positive charges) go to the top of the cloud, the less dense (negative charges) go to the bottom. This creates an electric imbalance of charges. In the ground, the negative charges are pushed away because the positive charges are attracted to the negative charges at the bottom of the cloud. If an object is in the way the lightning does what it has to to get to the ground, so it will get there faster. When the lightning is discharged you only glimpse it for a second until it disappears. It can travel 75 m/sec, so even though it creates light it is a release of energy so it doesn't travel at the speed of light.

By Brian Hang
lightning is not necessarily formed but is just a large build up of static electricity between a point on the ground and the storm cloud. Its when these plus and minus charges come together to form a lightning strike.
Lightning is basically static electricity between the cloud and the ground. The cloud has too much of one charge (normally negative), while the ground has too much of the opposite charge (normally positive). The lightning bolt is the name of the electrical discharge between the two objects. It can also be between cloud-tree, cloud-car, or even (ouch!) cloud-human.
Electricity in the air.

Answer 2

Lightning forms from the build up of electrons or negative charges in clouds that are attracted to positive charges in other clouds or on the ground. Lightning is the discharge of energy from the cloud to the ground and back.

Once there is enough charge built up between the cloud and the ground a stepped leader (with a negative charge) will start toward the ground. The stepped leader is a dim 50-yard long "streak" of lightning starting from the cloud. The stepped leader will continue toward the ground in steps of 50 yards. Each stepped leader takes about 50 millionths of a second to start branching off into one or more additional stepped leaders. As the stepped leader(s) nears the ground, the positively charges on earth, and objects on earth, start to be attracted to the stepped leader. (For a human, if you have your hair standing on end, you are being attracted to the stepped leader of a lightning strike.) Once the stepped leader reaches one of the positively-charged streams from the ground, the positive charges flow in what we all now know as lightning, a bright stream in the sky that has several branches. The positive charges going up to the cloud are actually where we see the bright lightning -- this is also known as the "return stroke." When the return stroke reaches the cloud, there may be still more negative charges left, and the lightning will continue to arc, with negative charges being taken to the ground and return strokes taking positive charges to the cloud. A single lightning bolt may consist of a number of separate strokes, all occurring within less than a second.

(see related question)

Answer 3

A lightning bolt forms when there is a buildup of electrical charge in the atmosphere due to the separation of positive and negative charges in a storm cloud. When the difference in charge becomes great enough, a conductive path is created between the cloud and the ground, resulting in a discharge of electricity in the form of a lightning bolt.

Answer 4

Lightning bolt forms when there is an imbalance between positive and negative charges. When these electronic charges meet in the clouds, they form lightning bolt.

Answer 5

they form when 3 or four different wind types combust together and they mix amd mix until they cant mix no more they blow open and lightning comes out by the force of the mixture

Answer 6

There a positive charge on the ground and at the top of a cloud. There's a negitive charge at the bottom. That forms lightning.

Answer 7

Cloud negative and positive entergy

Answer 8

thors hammer