Chapter 20, Problem 52A

To determine

The effect that provides the attractive force to pulls the electrons toward Earth.

Explanation of Solution

Introduction:

The lightning is the flash of bright light which can be seen in the sky and is formed due to the flow of electricity between the clouds or due to the transfer of electrons from clouds to the Earth.

The planet Earth consists of rich number of electrons. These electrons on the Earth experiences a force of repulsion from the electrons in the cloud and hence there will be a charge separation that occurs in Earth due to induction. The side of the Earth which is nearest to the cloud will become positive. Due to this, there will be a force of attraction between the Earth and cloud that will pull the electrons towards Earth.