Is lightning in the sky Alternating Current or Direct Current??

Question

The lightning in the sky shows properties of AC or DC. please answer with explanation.

Answer 1

Should be DC. The lightning goes directly to ground - one way only - DC.

AC would mean that an arc would be established, and the current would go back and forth.

Answer 2

Lightning is DC -- well almost. There are several "kinds" of lightning. Cloud -- Earth = Cloud -- Earth -- Cloud; Cloud -- Cloud; Earth -- Cloud. In order of decreasing frequency. At least for most studies. Usually the charge carrier is negative (presumably electrons) but apparently some discharges appear to be positive! Often there is a "leader" stroke that on high speed photos approach the surface of the Earth, but "do not quite make it" and then there is a Earth -- Cloud return stroke (presumably the path is "set up" by the leader stroke. So this would be AC but with a single cycle. Make no mistake lightning is a difficult and complex phenomenon to study. It happens fast, and is difficult to track. Some studies "listen" to the thunder clap, which also provides interesting information, if not always well understood. The book "The Lightning Discharge" by Martin A. Uman is devoted to the subject.

Answer 3

An AC source produces currents that flow in one direction and then the other, continuously cycling through peak values in either direction, i.e., first positive, then negative, and so on.

Lightning is a direct current (DC) that would require it to be converted to alternating current (AC) so it could be used for lights and other equipment.Direct lightning current is simply too big to protect with a little electronic device inside a power strip.

Answer 4

Really the lightning in the sky is DC becuase AC is artificially generated to be able to carry power long distances without too much of a loss. Nearly all power is converted back to DC before being put to use.

Answer 5

Direct current.

Lightning is caused by a potential difference between the sky and the ground. The voltage builds up very slowly (because the atmosphere becomes charged), and when it reaches a critical value, a large current transports the excess charge across the atmosphere to even out the difference.

For an AC current you would need a rapidly changing potential between Earth and atmosphere.

Answer 6

Lighning discharges are transient current pulses rather than DC or AC currents. They last a very short time, increase very quickly up to a maximum and decay to zero. In most cases, their sign do not change. Some times, and due to the presence of capacitances, the effect of one lightning discharge in some circuit element may behave as several consecutive transients looking like AC.

Answer 7

DC. Alternating current does just that: Aternate. That is, it reverses direction at 60 times per second, whereas a lightning bolt, like a battery, discharges in one direction. Simply put, of course.

Answer 8

You can think of a bolt of lightning as a very large discharge of static electricity, it would be DC the polarity does not alternate.

{edited to add}
The link on http://www.mos.org/sln/toe/skineffect.html is really pushing it way too far. They do make a case but it is not valid because it fails to alternate. Their case is similar to stating a wheel rolls about it's axis, a rock tumbling down a mountain rolls about it's axis, so while the rock is tumbling down the mountain it 'becomes' a wheel. That makes no sense!

Answer 9

if i remember well alternating current is actually alternating, ie switching on and off rapidly, this is usually achieved by rotating a conductor in a magnetic field at a very rapid rate or so to say, lightning which is natural electricity shud be direct current cos i don't think that is any device up there that converts it to alternating current...hope this helps

Answer 10

Lightning is an example of a very high frequency alternating current.