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Lightning - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (5238 words) |
 | Lightning's abrupt electric discharge is accompanied by the emission of visible light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. |
| It has been suggested by experimental evidence that these discharges are triggered by cosmic ray strikes which ionise atoms, releasing electrons that are accelerated by the electric fields, ionising other air molecules and making the air conductive by a runaway breakdown, then starting a lightning strike. |
| There is some speculation that electrical breakdown and arcing of cotton and gutta-percha wire insulation used by Tesla may have been a contributing factor, since some theories of ball lightning require the involvement of carbonaceous materials. |
| electrical discharge - definition of electrical discharge in Encyclopedia (249 words) |
| An electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a sudden flow of electric current through a material that is normally an insulator. |
| In this case the insulator that breaks down is air, the potential difference between cloud and ground can be millions of volts, and the resulting current that flows heats the air causing an explosive release of energy. |
| Such measures include appropriate packing material, the use of conducting wrist-bands and foot-straps to prevent high voltages from accumulating on workers' bodies, anti-static mats to conduct harmful electric charges away from the work area, and humidity control, because water in the air conducts electric charges harmlessly to earth. |
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