Quiz on Lightning

What sound is created when a lightning bolt rapidly superheats the air around it?

• Thunder ✓ (Correct answer)
• Echo
• Sonic boom
• Static

Source: Thunder is the sound of air exploding outward as a bolt heats it in microseconds.

In Greek mythology, which god hurls bolts of lightning as his signature weapon?

• Apollo
• Zeus ✓ (Correct answer)
• Poseidon
• Hades

Source: Zeus's thunderbolt was forged by the Cyclopes and became his trademark weapon.

Which yellow Pokemon is famous for unleashing powerful electric attacks?

• Bulbasaur
• Squirtle
• Pikachu ✓ (Correct answer)
• Charmander

Source: Pikachu's name blends 'pika', a sparkle sound, with 'chu', a mouse squeak.

Which DC superhero gains his powers from being struck by a lightning bolt?

• The Flash ✓ (Correct answer)
• Aquaman
• Green Lantern
• Cyborg

Source: Barry Allen became the Flash after a bolt hit the chemicals in his lab.

Benjamin Franklin's famous storm experiment used which flying object?

• A balloon
• A telescope
• A windmill
• A kite ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Franklin's 1752 kite experiment helped prove that lightning is electricity.

During a thunderstorm, which is considered the safest place to shelter?

• Under a tree
• Inside a car ✓ (Correct answer)
• An open field
• On a hilltop

Source: A car's metal shell acts as a Faraday cage, routing the charge around you, not through the rubber tires.

Counting the seconds between a flash and the rumble that follows estimates what?

• Wind speed
• Rainfall amount
• Distance of the storm ✓ (Correct answer)
• Air temperature

Source: Every five seconds of delay means the strike is roughly one mile away.

Which famous tall structure gets struck by lightning around two dozen times a year?

• Eiffel Tower
• Statue of Liberty
• Big Ben
• Empire State Building ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: New York's Empire State Building is hit roughly 25 times a year.

Lightning splits nitrogen in the air, which then helps plants through what natural process?

• Soil fertilization ✓ (Correct answer)
• Acid rain
• Soil erosion
• Global warming

Source: Bolts break apart inert nitrogen into forms plants can absorb, a free natural fertilizer.

What are the glassy tubes called that form when a bolt fuses beach sand?

• Geodes
• Fulgurites ✓ (Correct answer)
• Stalactites
• Quartz crystals

Source: Fulgurites are hollow glass tubes created when a strike melts sand instantly.

Which planet hosts lightning storms thousands of times stronger than Earth's?

• Mars
• Venus
• Mercury
• Jupiter ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Jupiter crackles with 'superbolts' far more powerful than anything seen on Earth.

How does a lightning bolt's temperature compare to the surface of the Sun?

• Several times hotter ✓ (Correct answer)
• About equal
• Much cooler
• Slightly cooler

Source: A bolt's channel hits about 30,000 C, roughly five times hotter than the Sun's surface.

What sharp-smelling gas does a lightning discharge create in the surrounding air?

• Hydrogen
• Methane
• Ozone ✓ (Correct answer)
• Helium

Source: That clean, sharp smell after a storm is ozone produced by the electrical discharge.

What do scientists believe gives a thundercloud its enormous electric charge?

• Wind friction
• Solar radiation
• Ice particle collisions ✓ (Correct answer)
• Earth's magnetism

Source: Colliding ice crystals strip away electrons, building the charge that eventually sparks a bolt.

Roughly what share of people struck by lightning actually survive?

• About 10%
• About 50%
• About 90% ✓ (Correct answer)
• About 1%

Source: Around 90% of people struck survive, though many live with lasting injuries.

Roughly how much electrical current does a typical lightning bolt carry?

• About 30,000 amps ✓ (Correct answer)
• About 300 amps
• About 3,000 amps
• About 300,000 amps

Source: A typical cloud-to-ground lightning stroke peaks at roughly 30,000 amperes of current.

A 'bolt from the blue' can strike the ground how far from its parent storm?

• Up to 1 mile
• Up to 10 miles ✓ (Correct answer)
• Up to 50 miles
• Up to 100 miles

Source: Lightning can leap from a storm and hit clear ground up to ten miles away.

St. Elmo's fire, seen on ship masts during storms, is actually what?

• Glowing plasma discharge ✓ (Correct answer)
• Reflected moonlight
• Ball lightning
• Burning gas

Source: St. Elmo's fire is a glowing plasma that crackles off pointed objects in charged air.

What is the name for the bright upward surge that produces the visible flash?

• The return stroke ✓ (Correct answer)
• The stepped leader
• Static charge
• The thunderclap

Source: The dazzling flash you see is the return stroke racing upward from the ground.

Why is 'positive lightning', striking from a storm's top, considered especially deadly?

• It's silent
• It's invisible
• It moves slower
• It's far stronger ✓ (Correct answer)

Source: Positive bolts carry far more charge and can strike miles from the storm without warning.