How can i explain in simple terms how lightning is formed to my 9yr old?
The first process in the generation of lightning is charge separation Falling droplets of ice and rain become electrically polarized as they fall through the atmosphere’s natural electric field; Colliding ice particles become charged by electrostatic induction. Another theory is that opposite charges are driven apart by the above mechanism and energy is stored in the electric field between them. Cloud electrification appears to require strong updrafts which carry water droplets upward, supercooling them to -10 to -20 C. These collide with ice crystals to form a soft ice-water mixture called graupel. The collisions result in a slight positive charge being transferred to ice crystals, and a slight negative charge to the graupel. Updrafts drive lighter ice crystals upwards, causing the cloud top to accumulate increasing positive charge. The heavier negatively charged graupel falls towards the middle and lower portions of the cloud, building up an increasing negative charge. Charge separat
ask them if they ever saw a spark. Then show them a battery and explain how little things called electrons are in the battery and when you connect the positive and negative sides the electrons can go from one side to the other and make electricity. If you put a light bulb between the connected wires the electrons make light from the heat. Then tell them that if the battery is strong enough the electrons will actually jump from one terminal to the other (I think from negative to positive if I remember correctly) Not on to lightening. In a storm the clouds will generate lots of electrons and the earth acts like the negative pole of a battery. It gets so powerful that just like in a strong battery it will spark from the clouds to the earth. That is lightening. Then just like a spark makes a snapping sound, the huge spark from lightening makes a huge sound we call thunder.
