Doubt regarding current flow during lightening.

AI Thread Summary
Current flows during lightning despite the path not being completely closed, as the discharge occurs rapidly between charged clouds and the ground. Lightning lasts only until the surrounding area is discharged, which is why it appears to die out quickly. To observe current flow during a lightning strike, one can use a lightning rod, which captures the high electric current generated. The discussion highlights the difference between electronic circuits and natural phenomena like lightning, emphasizing the unique behavior of charges in such events. Overall, the complexities of lightning and current flow challenge conventional circuit theories.
Puneeth423
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You know current will flow only when the path is complete and closed. During lightning, that doesn't happen. Lightning dies after some time? Its not a complete or closed path. How can you tell that charges are flowing or current is flowing?
 
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You know current will flow only when the path is complete and closed.
This is a good approximation for electronic circuits, but not for charged objects like clouds.

Lightning dies after some time?
As soon as the region around the lightning is discharged.

How can you tell that charges are flowing or current is flowing?
Use a lightning rod, wait for a lightning strike, and you get a high electric current flow inside. There are more dangerous ways, too.
 
Puneeth

why did you start another thread on the same subject ?

you have already been discussing this in the other thread

did you even bother to look in the other thread where I responded with some diagrams ?Dave
 
It may be shown from the equations of electromagnetism, by James Clerk Maxwell in the 1860’s, that the speed of light in the vacuum of free space is related to electric permittivity (ϵ) and magnetic permeability (μ) by the equation: c=1/√( μ ϵ ) . This value is a constant for the vacuum of free space and is independent of the motion of the observer. It was this fact, in part, that led Albert Einstein to Special Relativity.
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