Help evaluate the ball lightning energy

AI Thread Summary
The discussion focuses on evaluating the energy required to create a 7cm round hole in a 3mm thick window glass due to a ball lightning event with a diameter of 10cm and a discharge duration of 30 seconds. Participants are tasked with calculating the volume of the glass affected and the energy needed for vaporization. It is noted that the actual outcome likely involved a mixture of molten glass and vapor rather than complete vaporization. A suggestion is made to perform calculations assuming a 50% ratio of liquid to vapor. This analysis aims to provide a rough estimate of the energy involved in the phenomenon.
Minich
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Input data:

window glass thickness: 3mm
ball lightning diameter: 10cm
discharge duration 30 seconds

After the discharge there was 7cm round hole in the window glass (after freezing to atmosfere temperature).

It was a real case in 1976 year in Frijazino city, near Moscow during school lesson.
 
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a rough estimate would be to calculate the energy needed to vaporize the said volume of commen glass.

Calculate the volume, then find the vaporisation energy required for the glass.

In reality, I'm sure it was not purely vaporised, but a mixture of molten glass and glass vapor. In this case reproduce the said calculation with 50% liquid and 50% vapor.

A rough estimate but will give you an idea.
 

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