Final answer:
During a lightning strike, approximately 1 Coulomb of charge is transferred from the cloud to the earth.
Step-by-step explanation:
The charge transferred during a lightning strike can be calculated using the formula Q = It, where Q is the charge, I is the current, and t is the duration.
In this case, the current is 25000 A and the duration is 40.0 μs. Converting the time to seconds, we have t = 40.0 × 10-6 s.
Substituting these values into the formula, we get Q = 25000 A × 40.0 × 10-6 s = 1 C.
Therefore, approximately 1 Coulomb of charge is transferred from the cloud to the earth during a lightning strike.