LIGHTNING AND THUNDER

Research paper
presented to

FELIZARDO A. GAYAPA Jr.

English Teacher

In partial fulfillment
of the requirement
in English 10

By:
JHUDIELVERD T. JENON
G10-Mabini
SIAYAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte
S.Y. 2018-2019
 LIGHTNING AND THUNDER

Research paper
presented to

FELIZARDO A. GAYAPA Jr.

English Teacher

In partial fulfillment
of the requirement
in English 10

By:
JHUDIELVERD T. JENON
G10-Mabini
SIAYAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Siayan, Zamboanga del Norte
S.Y. 2018-2019
 Table of content

Introduction

I. What is lightning?

II. How is lightning works?

III. Is it possible to have thunder without lightning?

IV. Where and when does lightning most frequently strike, is

it always strike the tallest object?

V. Does lightning strike from sky down or ground up?

VI. How do you know if lightning is nearby and how far

away can you see lightning and hear the thunder?

VII. How does the earth benefits from lightning?

What is thunder its causes?

Conclusion
Bibliography
 Introduction

Lightning is an extremely fascinating and elusive

subject. Although people are drawn to its beauty and

uniqueness, lightning is a very dangerous form of weather. Nearly

2,000 people worldwide are injured by lightning strikes per year

and between 25% to 30% of those struck die. Closer to home,

lightning kills 81 people a year, more than any other type of severe

weather, including tornadoes and floods (Changnon and Kunkel,

2006). Although lightning is a great wonder it is important to take

necessary precautions to avoid this hazard.

 I. What is lightning?

Lightning can be seen virtually

instantaneously as light travels very fast
(about 300,000,000 m/s!). Lightning can
be seen up to 500 miles away. Lightning
is produced by discharges of electricity
from cloud to cloud or cloud to ground. A large positive charge builds
up in the upper part of a thundercloud and a negative charge builds
up near the base of the cloud. When the potential difference between
the charges areas becomes large enough, electrical energy is
discharged, and a flash of lightning occurs. Huge quantities of
electricity are discharged in lightning flashes and temperature of over
30,000°c or more can be reached.

Lightning is approximately 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That is

six times hotter than the surface of the sun. It seems to be clear or a
white yellow color, but it really depends on the background.

Lightning is an electrostatic discharge accompanied by the

emission of visible light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation.
In addition, it can have 100 million to 1 billion volts, and contains
billions of watts.
 II. How is Lightning Works?
The formation of the
initial storm cloud is the
initiating process to how
it becomes so charged. Its
common knowledge that
waters droplets form
clouds they condense as
they go higher in the air. These droplets collide into one
another, as they become more condensed these collisions
become vigorous and eventually lead to electrons being
knocked off and falling to the lower end of the could while the
protons continue up to the top. This falling electron creates a
very negative bottom of the cloud and a positive top; this in
turn causes an electric field to form in the atmosphere around
the cloud.

The negative bottom of the cloud becomes strong

enough to repel electrons on the earth’s surface causing the
surface to become positively charged. This extreme attraction
is the layout of how lightning forms.
 III. Is it possible to have thunder without
lightning?

No, it is not possible to have thunder without

lightning. Thunder is a direct result of lightning. However,
it is possible that you will see lightning and not hear the
thunder because it was too far away. Sometimes this is
called “heat lightning “because it occurs most often in the
summer.

Lightning strikes the ground approximately 25

million times each year in the U.S. According to the NWS,
the chance of an individual in the U.S. being killed or
injured during a given year is one in 240,000. Assuming an
average lifespan of 80 years, a person’s odds over their
lifetime becomes one in 13,000.
IV. When and where does Lightning most frequently
strike, is it always strike the tallest object?

Lightning comes from a parent cumulonimbus cloud.

These thunderstorm clouds are formed wherever there is
enough upward motion, instability in the vertical, and
moisture to produce a deep cloud that reaches up to levels
somewhat colder than freezing.

Never say always “Lightning usually strikes the tallest

object”. It may sense that the tallest object is most
attractive, because it is the easiest path for the lightning to
take.
V. Does lightning strike from the sky down or
ground up?

The answer is both. Cloud to ground lightning

comes from the sky down, but the part you see comes
from the ground up. A typical cloud to ground flash
lowers a path of negative electricity (that we cannot
see) towards the ground in a series of spurts. Objects on
the ground generally have a positive charge. Since
opposites attract, an upward streamer is sent out from
the objects about to be struck. When these two paths
meet, a return stroke zips back up to the sky. It is the
return stroke that produces the visible flash, but it all
happens so fast in about one millionth of a second so
the human eye does not see the actual formation of the
stroke.
VI. How do you know if lightning is nearby and how far
away, can you see lightning and hear the thunder?

If you see dark clouds, then lightning could be

present, but the best thing you can do is listen for thunder.
If you hear thunder, then you need to go indoors or get in
a car. Don’t be outside, where lightning could strike. If
your hair stands on end or your skin starts to tingle,
lightning maybe about to strike. Get down on your hands
and knees and keep your head tucked in. Do not lay flat,
because it can give lightning a better chance of strike you.

Within those distant thunderstorms, the lightning

bolts can be seen as much as 100 miles from us, depending
on the height of the bolt, the clarity of the air, and our
elevation. Thunder, in comparison, has a much shorter
range of detection usually less than 15 miles in a noisy city
environment.
VII. How does the Earth benefits from lightning?

The earth benefits from lightning in several ways.

First, lightning helps the earth maintain electrical balance.
The earth is recharged by thunderstorms. The earth’s
surface and the atmosphere conduct electricity easily the
earth is charged negatively and the atmosphere,
positively. There is always a steady current of electrons
flowing upwards from the entire surface of the earth.

Thunderstorms help transfer the negative charges

back to earth (lightning is generally negatively charged).
Without thunderstorms and lightning, the earth
atmosphere electrical balance would disappear in 5
minutes. Lightning also makes ozone-producing
chemicals.
 VIII. What are Thunder and its causes?

Thunder is the loud noise, which follows a flash of

lightning. Lightning can be seen before thunder is heard it is
because light travels faster than sound. The speed of sound
in air is just over 300/s. This means that if you count the
seconds between seeing the lightning and hearing the
thunder, and divide by three, you can work out how many
kilometers away the storm is (for example, if you start
counting when you see the lightning and get to 9, then the
storm is about 3km away). The noise of thunder is caused
by the rapid expansion of heating the air. You can normally
hear thunder up to 6 miles (10km) away from the lightning
flash. The sound can last quite a few seconds.

Thunder is caused by lightning. When a lightning bolt

travels from the cloud to the ground it actually opens up a
little hole in the air, called a channel. Once then light is gone
the air collapse back in and creates a sound wave that we
hear as thunder. The reason we see lightning before we
hear thunder is because light travels faster than sound.
 Conclusion

Lightning is a deadly but often avoidable hazard. If

the proper precautions are taken, the threat of this hazard
can be greatly reduced. Through education, people can
raise their awareness and understanding of lightning
strikes, therefore reducing their risk of injury or death.
Lightning affects everyone because it can strike anywhere
and thunderstorms can move very quickly. Lightning is
one of nature’s most concentrated ways of releasing
energy that is why it can be so deadly. A person has a 1 in
3000 chance of being struck by lightning in their lifetime
(National Geographic) but by being aware a person could
reduce this chance significantly.