In: Physics
a) Typical electric fields in thunderstorms average around 105 V/m. Consider a (roughly) cylindrical thundercloud with height 10 km and diameter 20 km and assume a uniform electric field of 105 V/m. Find the electrical energy contained in the cloud (2 s.f.).
b) For the same thundercloud and imagining that the electric field points vertically downwards, calculate the minimum charge on a 5-mg raindrop that would cause it to accelerate upwards (2 s.f.). (Enter the magnitude of the charge into D2L to check your answer, but the sign is important too in your written solution.)