A lightning strike on a metal tower can be described as follows - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2012 - Paper 1
Question 4
A lightning strike on a metal tower can be described as follows.
In the cloud.
A thunder cloud contains moving ice particles.
Some of these ice particles are negati... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A lightning strike on a metal tower can be described as follows - Edexcel - GCSE Physics - Question 4 - 2012 - Paper 1
Step 1
Which row of this table is correct when the cloud is over the top of the tower before the lightning flash?
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Answer
When the charged cloud passes over the metal tower, the negatively charged particles at the bottom of the cloud induce a positive charge on the top of the tower. This results in the top of the tower being positively charged while the bottom of the cloud remains negatively charged. Thus, the correct row from the options provided is:
C: charge on top of the cloud is positive; charge on top of the tower is positive.