[TenTec] electron flow vs. current flow

[cherry@neta.com]

Sherrill, lighting is the flow of energy. You can tell that 
by what it can do. The energy travels much faster than the 
flow of particles. It is limited to the speed of light. The 
energy in lighting ionizes the air into both positive and 
negative. No negative or positive ion actually travels from 
the cloud to earth or from earth to cloud. The energy travels
just like energy travels around wires from the power plant
to your tranceiver. The only difference is lighting has to make
the wire as it goes. That slows it down a little. Now doesn't 
that simplify the whole thing?
Peace, Jim FitzSimons W7ANF
 
10/18/2000 4:03:25 PM, "Sherrill WATKINS" 
<SEWATKINS@dgs.state.va.us> wrote:

>In reality lightning is a complete loop like any circuit.  Don't 
know if this has been mentioned here before or not but there is 
even positive and negative lightning,, so named because of where it 
initiates, positive earth to negative clouds or the other way 
around. In other words whether or not it starts from the clounds 
goes to earth and comes back, or starts from earth goes to clouds 
and comes back.
>
>Neat stuff anyway :)
>
>Sherrill WATKINS wrote:
>
>> Actually, I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who postulated in 
about circa 1750 that electricity flows because of an attraction 
from positive to negative poles.  Also, it was Franklin that 
postulated the theory (correct) that lightning is the flow of 
electric charges and therefore offered the first scientific 
explanation that lightning is the flow of electricity.   Franklin 
also postulated correctly that lightning will favor an attraction 
to a point over a sphere or flat surface and from this he correctly 
developed the theory of the lightning rod, now called the "air 
terminal".   However, my cathodic protection engineer friend is 
adamant that current flows from positive to negative. - sherrill  
k4own




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