Question

We can model a layer of rainelouds as a plane of excess eharge and the earth's surface as a second excess charge with the same stre charge, but opposite sign. Then these two planes with equal raineloud layer reaches 3 MV/m (megn volts per meter). -3 e 500 mabiic iel Tm a sapacitor. Consider a raineloud 500 m above the earth's surface, covering an area Just before a lightning strike occurs, the eleetrie field strength between the earth's meter) or strengthb (a) What (b) Just before is the capacitance between the raincloud and the earth's surface? u the lightning strike, what is the electric potential difference between the raincloud and the earth? li e) Just before the lightning strike, how much excess charge does the r aincloud contain? nch enery is discharged in a lightning strike between the raincloud and the carth, assuming all excess charge from One plane recombines with all excess charge of the other plane? areas Iai dl 500 e) lese to A .lSe S Co D) io

Answer 1

a)

C = eo A / d

C = 8.85*10^-12* 10^6 / 500

C = 1.77*10^-8 F

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b)

V = E d = 3*10^6* 500 = 15*10^8 V

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c)

q = CV = 1.77* 15 = 26.55 C

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d)

U = 0.5 CV^2

U = 0.5* 1.77*10^-8* (15*10^8)^2

U = 1.99*10^10 J

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