Why air becomes a conductor during lightning?

4 Answers. This is due to the principle of dielectric breakdown. During thunderstorms, the air between the cloud and the ground acts like a capacitor. When the electric field is high enough, the air partially ionizes, at which point there are free electrons to carry current and the air becomes, essentially, conductive.

Why does lightning push electricity through air but common batteries do not?

Why does lightning push electricity through air, but common batteries do not? Actually, a common low-voltage battery does push a small electrical current through the air. But this current is so small that in most cases it can be ignored. Air is a good insulator at low voltages, but not a perfect insulator.

Why air is a bad conductor?

air is a poor conductor because its molecules are not in continuous contact with one another unlike a solid. Heat by conduction passes more quickly in a solid because the molecules’ vibrations immediately affect their neighbours.

How does air become a conductor?

How fast can lightning travel?

While the flashes we see as a result of a lightning strike travel at the speed of light (670,000,000 mph) an actual lightning strike travels at a comparatively gentle 270,000 mph. This means it would take about 55 minutes to travel to the moon, or around 1.5 seconds to get from London to Bristol.

What would happen if air was a good conductor of electricity?

The conductors inside are contacting the air at all times. If air were conductive, this would cause a short circuit and a fire.

Is air a good insulator of heat?

Air in general is a good thermal insulator, but it can transmit heat through convection. However, if the air pockets inside the insulating material are separated from each other, heat flow from one air pocket to another cannot happen easily.

Why air is a bad conductor of heat?

Air may be a bad conductor of heat because its molecules aren’t in continuous contact with one another. Air molecules are too far to disperse heat to at least one another efficiently. Heat is transferred or conducted by molecules and atoms that are very closely bonded together and vibrating at high frequency.

How does Lightning work in nature?

How Lightning Works. The strong electric field causes the air around the cloud to ” break down ,” allowing current to flow in an attempt to neutralize the charge separation. Simply stated, the air breakdown creates a path that short-circuits the cloud/ earth as if there were a long metal rod connecting the cloud to the earth.

Why doesn’t Lightning travel through air?

Air is a poor conductor of electricity, that’s true. But lightning not actually ‘travel’ through air, it’s ‘discharging’ through air. When the potential difference (or voltage) between 2 points are very high, the insulator in between has very high stress. For air, it get starts ionizing.

What causes lightning to occur in clouds?

When the voltage (developed in the cloud) exceeds the treshold level which air can withstand (with respect to ground level), charge is discharged suddenly to the ground breaking the insulation property of air, that we see as lightning. Even 5000V discharge to earth, if the air gap is only 1 cm. It also depends on t

Why does air conduct electricity during a thunderstorm?

During thunderstorms, the air between the cloud and the ground acts like a capacitor. When the electric field is high enough, the air partially ionizes, at which point there are free electrons to carry current and the air becomes, essentially, conductive. Air does not conduct electricity in the way that metals do.