Physics 1120, General Physics 2: Electricity, Magnetism, and Optics
Instructors: Victor Gurarie and Steven Pollock
Lightning is one of nature's most spectacular demonstrations of high
voltage, and resulting dielectric breakdown. It can also be
deadly. A stroke
might last only about 30 microseconds, but with a peak power of over a
trillion watts. Boulder County is struck by lightning about
3,500 times/year.
There are still many technical details about lightning that are not
completely understood, it's an
active field of research.