Answer :
Final answer:
The voltage of lightning can reach up to one billion volts and its temperature can soar to 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. This immense energy can vaporize substances like water or tree sap, indicating the vast power of natural electrical phenomena.
Explanation:
The voltage of a bolt of lightning may be as much as one billion (1 x 109) volts, and its temperature may reach 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. It is widely accepted that lightning can have a potential difference on the order of hundreds of megavolts (MV) - much higher than anything we can produce artificially with standard commercial methods.
When it comes to the energy dissipation of a single lightning strike, we can use the formula energy (E) = current (I) x voltage (V) x time (t). For example, if a lightning bolt has a current of 20,000 Amperes (A), a voltage of 100 MV, and lasts for 1 millisecond (ms), the energy released would be substantial. Additionally, this immense amount of energy can raise a significant mass of water or tree sap from room temperature to its boiling point and then vaporize it, showcasing the sheer power of a lightning strike.
