Re: Error in Wikipedia article: Faraday's law of induction

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"Szczepan Bia³ek" <sz.bialek@xxxxx> wrote in message
news:g5hjbj$nge$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<phil-news-nospam@xxxxxxxx> wrote news:g5fsot3g44@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
On Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:42:08 +0200 "Szczepan Bia?ek" <sz.bialek@xxxxx>
wrote:
| |
| Storm clouds are high voltage generators (Armstrong and Kelvin). As
such
| they must send electrons in ALL directions.

How can a storm cloud generator a charge if it would send electrons in
all
directions? Do these new charges emerge from some kind of singularity in
the middle of the cloud?

A storm cloud generate the high VOLTAGE not a charge. The Earth has the
excess of electrons so the atmosphere too. But currents and lightnings
take place only if the difference of voltage exist. Water droplets work
like the capacitor. Small drops in cloud small voltage, large drops large
voltage (see Kelvins high voltage generator). In a storm cloud are stored
heat and electrons. The both must be dissipated when the cloud disappear.
S*


It's a bit more than this simplistic and superficial approach.
To get a high voltage between two points, it is NECESSARY that there is a
charge separation. This separation of charge is the cause of the voltage
difference- look at the definition of potential difference. Updrafts, wide
temperature ranges, and charge separation due to changes in temperature
followed by freezing are some of the factors.
Suffice it to say that there are parts of a cloud that are negative with
respect to earth and parts which are positive due to charge buildup. The
electric fields are related to these charges and lightning, between earth
or cloud to cloud consists of high field breakdown (in steps) providing an
ionized path for a rebalance of charge. As for heat stored in a storm
cloud- note that the temperature of the known charge storage regions of
thunderheads is generally in the -30 to -40C range. Thermal energy is
involved- it is the driving force behind the charge separation, but somehow,
heat storage is rather questionable at least. As for storage of electrons
(and actually in some regions, storage of positive ions) -isn't that a
storage of charge? You are contradicting yourself.

Do we know the actual mechanisms involved? To some extent we do but we
certainly cannot say "this is what happens" rather than "this may be the
main mechanism" Do we know all the mechanisms and what part each of the
known mechanisms play?- definitely not.

There is a great deal of literature with respect to lightning- read it!


Don Kelly dhky@xxxxxxxxxxxx
remove the X to answer


.

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