How wide is a lighting bolt?

Question

how big is the diameter of the average lightning bolt?

Answer 1

I'm not sure you can measure electrical discharge.

Answer 2

I don't think you can measure it. But if you find out let me know?

Answer 3

well, since it isnt really solid matter, you cant measure it. try measuring a light beam, you can, but move the light back an inch and its completely different. same concept, cant be done.

Answer 4

How can u measure a spark of light? It's just an electrical discharge...a relese of enormous energy due to building up of pressure!

Answer 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning

http://science.howstuffworks.com/lightni...

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/lightn...

http://www.chaseday.com/lightning.htm

http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/... 3_lightningfacts.html

You cannot really measure it, it is just a streak of electrical energy!

Answer 6

Considering that a lightning bolt consists of negatively and positively charged particles, a lightning bolt is no wider than a single elementary particle (protons or electrons, depending on the type of lightning bolt), which is very, very small. Lightning bolts seem to be wider due to their luminosity. The bolt is not as wide as it appears when illuminated.

Answer 7

lighting means using natural or artificial light to illuminate a place.

see   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lightning

Answer 8

The width of the ionized channel carrying the current charge thru the air is about an inch or two.  This is also reflected in the diameter of fused sand cores (fulgarites) seen to emanate from the location of a strike in sandy soil.  Makes for interesting jewelry.