why lightning shape is like zigzag fom?
554275
Lightning is nothing but charge travelling from a place of high potential to one of lower potential. So its a bunch of  ions (it could be positive/negative ions ) in there, colliding against the air molecules as they try and make their way from one place to the other. The collisions are what give rise to the light. \n\nBe that as it may, the travel of ions is a very random process. They will normally try and take the shortest route through, and if it werent for density fluctuations in the air, you would see a straight line. \n\nThe zigzagging comes about when the ion group is pushed about randomly by the air, as it tries to find the easiest way through, which doesn't work out to be the shortest one. Hence, the bolt itself takes the most natural form that it can, in the face of unforeseen hurdles - a zigzag shape!
757146
Lightning is one of the oldest observed natural phenomena on earth. At the same time, it also is one of the least understood. While lightning is simply a gigantic spark of static electricity (the same kind of electricity that sometimes shocks you when you touch a doorknob), scientists do not have a complete grasp on how it works, or how it interacts with solar flares impacting the upper atmosphere or the earth's electromagnetic field.\nLightning has been seen in volcanic eruptions, extremely intense forest fires, surface nuclear detonations, heavy snowstorms, and in large hurricanes. However, it is most often seen in thunderstorms.At any given moment, there can be as many as 2,000 thunderstorms occurring across the globe. This translates to more than 14.5 MILLION storms each year. NASA satellite research indicated these storms produce lightning flashes about 40 times a second worldwide.This is a change from the commonly accepted value of 100 flashes per second which was an estimate from 1925. Whether it is 40, 100, or somewhere in between, we live on an electrified planet.\n\nThe Sound of Thunder\nRegardless of whether lightning is positive or negative, thunder is produced the same way. Thunder is the acoustic shock wave resulting from the extreme heat generated by a lightning flash. Lightning can be as hot as 54,000°F (30,000°C), a temperature that is five times the surface of the sun! When lightning occurs, it heats the air surrounding its channel to that same incredible temperature in a fraction of a second.\n\nLike all gases, when air molecules are heated, they expand. The faster they are heated, the faster their rate of expansion. But when air is heated to 54,000°F in a fraction of a second, a phenomenon known as "explosive expansion" occurs. This is where air expands so rapidly that it compresses the air in front of it, forming a shock wave similar to a sonic boom. Exploding fireworks produce a similar result.\n\nWhat is the difference between a thundershower and a thunderstorm?  \nTechnically, there is none. In general, the term "thundershower" tends to denote a fairly weak storm with light to moderate rainfall and low levels of lightning activity. However, there are no defined parameters that distinguish between a thundershower and a thunderstorm. In fact, in order to avoid confusion, we in the National Weather Service do not use the term "thundershower". If a shower is strong enough to produce lightning, even just one single bolt, it's called a thunderstorm.\n\nTo Learn More about Lightning and Thunder go to \nhttp://www.srh.weather.gov/jetstream/lightning/lightning_intro.htm\n\nLIGHTNING SAFETY A MUST READ\nLightning is the MOST UNDERRATED weather hazard. On average, only floods kill more people. Lightning makes every single thunderstorm a potential killer, whether the storm produces one single bolt or ten thousand bolts.\n\nIn the United States, lightning routinely kills more people each year than tornadoes and hurricanes COMBINED. Tornadoes, hail, and wind gusts get the most attention, but only lightning can strike outside the storm itself. Lightning is the first thunderstorm hazard to arrive and the last to leave.\n\nLightning is one of the most capricious and unpredictable characteristics of a thunderstorm. Because of this, no one can guarantee an individual or group absolute protection from lightning. However, knowing and following proven lightning safety guidelines can greatly reduce the risk of injury or death. Remember, YOU are ultimately responsible for your personal safety, and should take appropriate action when threatened by lightning.\n\nWhile no place is 100% safe from lightning, some places are much safer than others.\nWhere to Go Where NOT to Go \nThe safest location during a thunderstorm is inside a large enclosed structure with plumbing and electrical wiring. These include shopping centers, schools, office buildings, and private residences.\n\nIf lightning st
266957
The PHYSICAL PHENOMENON here is called ELECTROSTATIC SHIELDING!\n\nIt says that electrostatic field inside a hollow metal conductor is ZERO! \nThe field will be zero even if the conductor encloses a charge!\n\nHere the CAR can be considered as the conductor,\nSo! even if there is  a million volts of lightning outside! You are safe inside!\nThanks- Hope I helped\nPeace!
382607
Lightning is an electric current. Within a thundercloud, many small bits of ice bump into each other as they swirl around in the air. All those collisions create an electrical charge, just like the one that builds up in you when you cross a carpet.\n\nAfter a while, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges (usually with a negative charge closest to the earth). Since opposites attract each other, that causes a positive charge to build up on the ground beneath the cloud. The ground's electrical charge concentrates around anything that sticks up, such as mountains, lone trees, people, or even blades of grass. The charge streaming up from these points eventually connects with a charge reaching down from the clouds, and--zap!--lightning strikes.\n\nThe intense heat of the lightning bolt causes the surrounding air to explode outward with a gigantic boom--thunder.
199846
You are holding a metal rod...there is lightning all around. Metal rods attract lighting. You are holding a metal rod.
485683
Lightning is a powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. This abrupt electric discharge is accompanied by the emission of visible light and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. The electric current passing through the discharge channels rapidly heats and expands the air into plasma, producing acoustic shock waves (thunder) in the atmosphere.\n\n\nThe saying "lightning never strikes twice in the same place" is false. The Empire State Building is struck by lightning on average 100 times each year, and was once struck 15 times in 15 minutes.\n\n\nk.m.
654472
Hi, chris........both are actually the result of same thing,....\n\nwhen two clouds come together, there is electric discharge,\n\na cloud can be seen as a large capacitor.......\n\nso sound and light are produced at the same time.......\n\nsince sound travels at 330 mph, and light at 300000 mps\n\nsound reaches us later coz its very slow compared to light, so we see light immediately but it takes time for the sound to reach our ears..........\n\nwhich is better??? one doesnt happen without the other....\n\nthe power generated in a lightning is 50000 volts......\n\nscientists are trying to store the power these days, \n\nthe same they cant do with sound, and lighting is obviously more dangerous......
588473
Z-shape or zigzag, because it is a nice shape or a nice design and unique. It's okay for houses to face the steets but it must face the sunlight coz' they say that it's bad luck if it will not be facing the sunlight and it's not really best if you will build your houses near the streets especially when you live in a big community or in an urban place because accidents always happens in that area but if you live in a peaceful place like in a rural or province area it's okay.\nYou could also choose a one-storey house or two or more than storey house.
741303
It's a lightning bolt, that when you look at your own avtar, it constantly flashes, making it look like there really is lightning. But when you see them as someone elses, the lightning freezes, and it just looks like "cracks" in the picture.
1164752
Here's a website that will explain it for you....http://science.howstuffworks.com/lightning5.htm
356001
It's a visual migraine.  I get them too. Painless, fortunately. Mine looks like a neon alligator flashing on and off.  My sister has them, too, and she said that if you try to examine the zig zags, you will see they are made up of images of items that you just looked at.  She's right! I tried really looking at it and the zig zags do contain images.  Interesting in a wierd way.
417045
Or did you mean when light hits an object, rather than lightning?\n\nIn this case, it really depends on the composition of the object and the wavelength of the light.  Generally, some of the light is absorbed into the object in the form of energy, and some of it is reflected back.  For example, a white light shone onto a red postbox will absorb every colour within the white light except for the red wavelengths which will reflect and be seen, hence it appearing red.
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because of diffraction.... and that light is not unidirectional and incoherent.....\n\nwhen light waves bend around an edge the waves interfere with each other and forms diffraction patterns... but these patterns can not be closely seen... not clear... or not as edgy as the obstacle like your hand or post...\n\nin this case, the edge of your hand and the edge of the post are edges, so when they are close, the 'kissing' of the shadows is the part of the pattern where light waves don't exactly meet the way they should...
57491
because of gravity, pulling inward with the same force in all directions, giving them a round shape.\n\nyou look very pretty in your avatar by the way ;)
283845
Clearing a few things up:\nlightning can go from cloud to ground, ground to cloud, or cloud to cloud.\nThe charge buildup that causes the lightning is focused in the cloud and on the ground.  But the lightning doesn't go from one to the other and just stop.  The difference in charge becomes large enough to cause a "jump" between the air and ground (or whatever the source/target).  This is like an arc in an electrical current... the voltage builds up to a point where the inhibition of the atmosphere (or wire covering) aren't enough to contain it, cuasing the ions to jump from the one place to the other.  As an aside, lightning is caused by opposite charges building up.  Typical lightning is negative (negative charge flowing to positive charge).  Less common is positive lightning, which is much more powerful/damaging.  The -/+ ions flow to the opposite charge.  Lightning starts wth a stepped leader of particles "reaching out" from the source AND target until a path of low enough resistance is found at which time the lightning strikes.  The path is set and large amounts of ions flow along the path until the charge difference/voltage decreases to a point at which the resistance restrains the flow again.\nThe lightning doesn't stop at the ground when coming from the cloud... it keeps spreading out until the charge difference is neutralized/the energy dissipated.  This can lead to lightning ions travelling large distances into the ground (or along underground phone lines and such).\n\nTired of me talking?  Looking for a point?\nThe point is that you can be hit in the sky!  Partciles of air aren't directly grounded either, but the lightning goes through them.  Humans are less resistant than air (that's why being the tallest object in a thunderstorm is dangerous), so in theory you are the easier path.  And just because you aren't grounded doesn't mean you don't get burned as the lightning passes through you (just as it would if you were grounded).\n\nDoubt the danger is rediculously extreme, but its a threat.
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Well electricity needs a path to travel in. Electricity can flow in wires, or other conductors, like a plasma, which consists of charged particles; that is, the electrons have been stripped off the atoms because they are so energetic, leaving just a seething collection of positive and negative particles (said to be "ionized"). In a lightning strike, a path of charged particles extends between the cloud and the ground, or some other object near the ground like a tree or a lightning rod or building (or sometimes between one cloud and another). The electricity in lightning follows this charged path. \n\nIf you can use a powerful laser or some other technique to form an ionized path in the air, then electricity can follow that ionized path, just like it does in lightning (or in Van de Graff generator experiments).
138725
You're right--lightning is just a spark. BUT it's a spark caused by massive voltage. Voltage can be defined as a difference in electrical potential between two points, with one point having a high negative electrical charge, the other a high positive electrical charge. This difference in electrical potential can become enormous when a thunderstorm gets going full force.\n\nRain and/or hail in the storm clouds are violently rubbed together by high-velocity winds, thus building up a net negative electrical charge (abundance of electrons). On the ground below the clouds no such action takes place, thus the ground has a net positive electrical charge (deficiency of electrons).\n\nEven though air is a very good insulator, the difference in electrical potential (voltage) between the storm clouds and ground can quickly reach as high as 500,000 volts, more than enough to produce a lightning "spark."