Question

Determine the force per meter on a lightning bolt at the equator that carries 20 000 A and is perpendicular to the Earth’s magnetic field, 3x10-5 T. What is the direction of the force if the current is straight up and the Earth’s field direction is due north which is parallel to the ground.

Answer 1

To determine the force per meter of a light bolt at the equator that carries 20 000 A and is perpendicular to the Earth's magnetic field with a magnitude of 3x10-5 T, we do this:
20000 / 3x10-5 = 666.67x10^6 N/m

The direction of the force would be to the left parallel to the equator.