Circuits and LightningBy Alyssa Shoultes

The Formation of Lightning and GroundingThis small piece will explain how lightning is formed and how a ground works.

How Lightning is Formed

1. Positive (protons) and negative (electrons) charges build up inside a cloud.

2. When multiple charges build up, the charges rearrange themselves. Protons head toward the top of the cloud, and electrons move toward the bottom. (This is called “polarization.”)

3. The negative electrons set off their power as a electric bolt toward the positively charged ground.

(When lightning hits the ground, it is usually safe. However, the electricity may “jump” into water pipes or phone lines and shock a person. This is called a “side flash.”)

• Yes, lightning runs in water!

My badly done MS Paint diagrams show the three steps in lightning formation.

Ground

A ground is a conductor- literally- buried into the ground. This helps to disperse the lightning into the ground, making it safe.

Older houses sometimes have poles like the one shown on the left. This pole, the “lightning rod”, is a type of ground. The third prong on a outlet plug (the rounded one) is also a ground.

Circuit PartsThis section lists, explains, and illustrates the four parts of a circuit.

Conductor

The conductor, when it comes to circuits, is the path that the electric current follows.

Conductors are often metals, since they can allow the flow of electricity with little resistance.

• A conductor as it’s depicted on a schematic, and different types of conductors.

Voltage source

The voltage source is a fancier term for a power source. It gives the circuits its power

• Top: A voltage source as shown on a schematic. Bottom: different types of voltage sources.

Switch

Switches allow the electric current to go through an object.

• Top: a switch (open and closed) as shown on a schematic. Bottom: different types of switches.

Electrical device

The electrical device is what the circuit sends the power through. Circuits would be pointless unless an electrical device is connected to it.

Anything you use that doesn’t require manual force to work is often an electrical device.

• Top: for my schematics, I’ll depict a light bulb for my device.

Bottom: Different types of electrical devices.

CircuitsThis section deals with the 2 types of circuits.

Series Circuits

A series circuit is a circuit type that only follows one direct path. If this path is severed, the object no longer functions

Christmas lights, battery-operated objects, and anything that requires a wall outlet is a type of series circuit. (Below: simple series circuit.)

Parallel Circuits

A parallel circuit is a circuit that follows multiple paths. If one line in a parallel circuit is severed, the rest can function normally.

Anything that requires multiple electrical paths, such as buildings, are often parallel circuits.(To left: simple parallel circuit.)