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The discharging current in the atmospher...

The discharging current in the atmosphere due to the small conductivity of air is known to be 1800 A on an average over the globe . Why then does the atmosphere not discharge it self completely in due course and becomed electrically neutral ? In other words, what keeps the atmosphere charged?

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The atmosphere is being discharged continuously by understorms and lightning all over the globe. It is also discharging due to the small conductivity of air. The two opposing processes. On an overage , are in equilibrium . Therfore the atmosphere . Keeps charged.
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The earth's surface has a negative surface charge density of 10^(-9) C m^(-2) . The potential difference of 400 kV between the top of the atmosphere and the surface results (due to the low condutivity of the lower atmosphere) in a current of only 1800 A over the entire globe. if there were no mechanism of sustaining atmospheric electric field, how much time (roughly) would be required to neutralise the earth's surface (This never happens in parctice there is a mechanism to replenish electric charges, namely the continual thunderstorms and lightning in different parts of the globe). (Radius of earth = 6.3 xx 10^(6) m )

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VIKRAM PUBLICATION ( ANDHRA PUBLICATION)-ELECTROSTATIC POTENTIAL AND CAPACITANCE-Additional Excercise
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  5. Two large conducting sphers carrying charges Q1 and Q2 are brought clo...

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  6. If Coulomb's law involved 1//r^3 dependence (instead of 1//r^2), would...

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  7. A small test charge is released at rest at a point in an electrostatic...

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  8. What is the work done by the field of a nucleus in a complete circular...

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  9. We know that electric field is discontinuous across the surface of a c...

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  10. What meaning would you give to the capacitance of a single conductor ?

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  11. Guess a possible reason why water has a much greater dielectric consta...

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  12. A cylinderical capacitor has two co-axial cylinders of length 15 cm an...

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  13. A parallel plate capacitor is to be desigined with a voltage rating 1k...

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  14. Describe schematically the equipotential surfaces corresponding to (...

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  15. In a Van de Graff type generator a spherical metal shell is to be a 15...

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  16. A small sphere of radius r1 and charge q1 is enclosed by a spherical s...

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  17. The top of the atmosphere is at about 400kV with respect to the surfa...

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  18. A man fixes outside his house on evening on its top a large aluminium ...

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  19. The discharging current in the atmosphere due to the small conductivit...

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  20. What are the forms of energy into which the electrical energy of the a...

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