Do you know electricity can jump! not only through air but through any type of insulator. We all are aware that lightning occurs by charge separation in the cloud. That then builds up and forms an electric field build-up between the clouds and the ground and then we see the bright flash. But why does it thunder? How does it jump?
When electricity travels through the air by forming a plasma we call it a “ Jump” or an electric arc like the one in Lightning, Aurora Borealis, or Nothern Lights.
But air is an insulator. It is supposed to stop or insulate the flow of electricity. How can lightning pass through it?
To answer this we need to look into the formula of current, voltage and resistance. Voltage V is directly proportional to resistance and current. And Voltage is the driver which makes it all happen.
Scientifically speaking,
Voltage overcomes the insulating properties of a material by exerting a force on the charged particles within the material, typically electrons.
Role of high voltage in overcoming insulators.
Electrons in insulators, such as rubber or plastic, are tightly bonded and unable to travel freely and conduct electric current. However, when a sufficiently high voltage is put across an insulator, a powerful electric field is produced. The electrons are subjected to a strong force by this electric field, which gives them enough energy to break out from their bound states and temporarily become mobile.
Causing flow of electricity.
So it would not be wise to touch a live wire even when you are wearing a rubber flip-flop. The voltage might be high enough to negate the effect of the insulating properties of the rubber flip-flop. It is advisable to stay away from high voltage sources as electricity can jump through the air. It takes 10kV or 10,000 V to jump an air gap of 1cm. And the voltage criteria decrease as the air gets more humid.
Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights the charged particles emitted by the sun (generally electrons and protons) are held up by Earth’s magnetic field in the upper atmosphere. As the particles carry a charge, a voltage difference is formed in the upper atmosphere where it reacts with the atoms and gasses of the atmosphere likely nitrogen, and oxygen that can be observed as the mesmerizing display of lights at the poles.
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