today the fire alarm went off in my school when i was in the computer room and my teacher shouts at everyone 'LEAVE EVERYTHING,LEAVE EVERYTHING LEAVE YOUR BAGS LEAVE EVERYTHINGbut log off the computers first'
not if it leaves the ground, and goes to the cloud (which in most cases it does, your eye can't follow the speed of light, since it's the fastest thing known), it only looks like it goes from the cloud to the ground, through what is called a STEP LEADER (path of least resistance).
I was going to say Play Scrabulous on facebook, but I see you wrote, Things other than the computer. I read alot. I also catch up on TV shows I've missed. I'm in the middle of writing a journal for my daughter. Just wanted to write down important things that I might forget when she gets older. You know, good stories and so forth. Okay, I'm rambling..that's all I have. )
Lightning is actually the result of a difference in charge between two points on the earth. Theoretically, lightning occurs anywhere you see sparks including the static zap you get when you touch someone after rubbing a sweater or turning off a screen. Lightning as you define it in the clouds is the result of a difference in charge between air in the clouds (which rub against each other) and the calm uncharged ground (which does not move). You can actually generate lightning to hit anything you want by creating a large positive charge on the ground. Hence the idea by scientists to create 'lightning towers' which absorb lightning shocks down a metal rod in the ground to avoid your house being struck.
No, there is cloud to cloud lightning.
I can just add to the previous answer by mentioning that it also goes parallel to the earth and away from it into the athmosphere Lovely question ;-)
