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Chapter - 15 Some Natural Phenomena (Revision Notes) : Lightning
Chapter - 15 Some Natural Phenomena (Revision Notes) : Lightning
• A Natural Phenomenon is anything that occurs on its own in nature without any kind of human
intervention.
• For example, the weather of a place, fog, storms, winds, tides, volcanic eruptions and cyclones all can
be categorized as natural phenomena.
• Some natural phenomena can be destructive such as cyclones, thunderstorms, lightning and
earthquakes.
• However, there are some ways with which we can protect and prepare ourselves from these natural
disasters.
Lightning
• Lightning is an electric discharge or an electric spark that occurs in nature on a major scale. It is
caused by the accumulation of charges in the clouds.
• In ancient times people were unaware of the cause of lightning and hence they were scared of it.
Nowadays, scientists have evolved some precautions that can help us prepare and protect ourselves
from this natural phenomenon.
Figure 2 Lightning
The sparks that Greeks knew about
• The Greeks were already aware of the electric charges from 600 BC. They knew that when Amber (a
type of resin or synthetic polymer) and fur are rubbed together, then amber can attract light objects
like hair.
• Similarly, woollen clothes or polyester clothes also attract hair and can produce a little spark or
crackling sound when they are taken off from the body. This is because of electric charges.
• Benjamin Franklin was an American scientist who in 1752 discovered and proved that lightning and
spark produced from these clothes are all same things.
• All these particles share a common property that they carry electric charges.
• Electrons have a negative charge on them while protons have a positive charge.
• We know that atoms carry a balanced charge however these charges may sometimes become out of
order.
• An object will be called electrically neutral if it is carrying a balanced proportion of positive and
negative charges.
• An object is called a charged object if there is an imbalance of electrons and protons in it.
Charging by rubbing
• When we rub two objects with each other they get charged due to a transfer of electrons between
them.
• For example, if we rub a rubber balloon with animal fur, the balloon is made up of rubber attracts the
electrons from the animal fur.
• This results in rubber having an excess of electrons while fur having a shortage of electrons.
• In the same way, if we rub a plastic comb with dry hair the comb acquires some charge.
• Objects having an excess of electrons are called negatively charged while an object having a shortage
of electrons are called positively charged.
• For instance, when a glass rod is rubbed with silk cloth it becomes positively charged while the silk
cloth becomes negatively charged.
• These charged objects are now capable of attracting other charged and uncharged objects.
• Objects having the same kind of charges repel each other while objects with different kind of charges
attract each other.
Figure 7 Static Charges when woollen sweater and balloon are rubbed together
In opposite to static charge, there is an electric current. The electric current results when the charges flow or
move from one point to another. This electric current results in glowing of bulb or working of all the electrical
appliances.
• Conduction: when a charged object comes in contact with a conductor it results in the transfer of
charges through the conductor.
Figure 11 (a) Amber and Cloth both have net zero charge (b) Amber and Cloth are rubbed together (C)
Amber and Cloth together have net zero charge
What is an electroscope?
It is a device which can test if an object is charged or not. Abraham Bennet developed a gold leaf electroscope in
1787.
Structure of an electroscope
• Generally, gold and silver are used to construct an electroscope because they are good conductors of
electricity. Otherwise, copper and aluminium can also be used.
• The brass rod has a brass disc or horizontal rod attached to it.
Figure 12 Electroscope
Working of an electroscope
When a charged object touches the brass disc, electric charges get transferred from the brass rod to the gold
leaves. As a result, the gold leaves move away from each other depicting the presence of charges.
• When a charged object transfers its charges to the earth it is called earthing. Generally, every building
is provided with earthing to protect it from electrical shocks due to leakage of electric current.
Story of Lightning
Figure 16 Lightning
1. During a thunderstorm, the hot air moves upwards while the raindrops fall downloads.
3. As a result, negative charges get accumulated in the lower ages of the clouds while positive charges
accumulate at the upper edges.
5. These charges begin to multiply due to the increase in winds and rainfall.
6. Although the air is a poor conductor of electricity due to heavy charges it is unable to restrict the electric
flow after some time.
7. The negative charges and positive charges meet which results in the production of electric sparks in the
form of a streak of light accompanied by a sound.
8. The streak is called lightning and the whole phenomenon is called electric discharge. This electric
discharge can occur between two or more clouds.
Lightning safety
One should not stay at an open place during lightning and thunderstorm. Hence as soon as we hear any alert
about lightning or thunderstorm, we should rush to a safe place such as a house or a building. If somebody is
there in a car or bus, they should stay inside and keep all the doors and windows closed. One should read inside
the safe place until the storm lasts.
3. One should not come in contact with the running water hence one should avoid bathing.
4. One should unplug all the electrical appliances in the house, for example TV, computers or music
systems. Electrical lights do not cause any harm and hence can be kept on.
• When the building is being constructed a metallic rod having height more than the building is placed
in the walls of the building.
• One end of the rod is in the air while the other end is buried inside the Earth.
• This rod is a conductor and hence during lightning it allows the flow of electric charges to the ground.
• These copper wires are brought down along the building and are attached to a metallic plate in the
ground.
• If lightning hits the building the copper wires carry these charges quickly to the ground.
Earthquakes
• Some natural phenomena such as thunderstorms and cyclones can be predicted by meteorologists.
However, there are certain natural phenomena that are uncertain and cannot be predicted accurately.
One of them is an earthquake.
• Earthquake is a natural phenomenon that occurs as shaking or trembling of the Earth's surface.
• The main cause of earthquake is disturbances inside the crust of the earth.
• Deep inside the earth, earthquakes occur all the time however they are not noticeable on the earth’s
surface. Sometimes major earthquakes occur on the earth surface which can be destructive.
o Loss of life
o Floods
o Landslides
o Tsunamis
Figure 20 - Destruction due to earthquake
o Loss of property such as buildings, dams and bridges
Cause of an earthquake
Earth’s surface is divided into several layers the crust, mantle, inner core and outer core.
The outermost layer of the Earth is divided into several plates. These plates are always moving.
As they move past each other or collide, disturbances are caused in the earth's crust. These disturbances are called
earthquakes or tremors.
Figure 22 Plates on Earth's Surface
Although the causes of an earthquake are clear the scientists cannot predict when the earthquake would occur.
• A Richter scale is not a linear scale, that is, a magnitude of Richter scale 6 does not imply that it is one and a
half times more destructive than an earthquake with a magnitude of 4.
• It rather means that an earthquake of a magnitude of 6 is 100 times more powerful than an earthquake with a
magnitude of 4.
What is an Epicentre?
The epicentre is a region on the earth’s surface that lies just above the focus of the earthquake is called epicentre. The
earthquake does not originate from the epicentre.
• It contains a metal rod or a pendulum which can vibrate as the earthquake occurs.
• The metal rod is attached to a pen which records the waves on the paper.
• Scientists study these waves and then construct a map of the earthquake.
Figure 27 Seismograph
• People should always consult architects and engineers before constructing a new building.
• Timber or mud should be used in the construction of buildings rather than heavy materials.
• The shelf and cupboard should be fixed to the walls so that they do not fall off easily.
• Things such as photo frames, geysers, clocks and other wall hangings should be placed in a place that does not
harm anybody if they fall off.
3. If one is in bed, they should cover their head with a pillow instead of getting up.
2. If a person is inside a car or a bus they should drive slowly to a clear place and be inside until the earthquake
stops.