What is the force per meter on a lightning bolt at the equator that carries 20,000 a perpendicular to earth’s 3.0e−5 t field? (b) what is the direction of the force if the current is straight up and earth’s field direction is due north, parallel to the ground?

To solve this problem it is necessary to apply the concepts related to Magnetic Force.

The magnetic force as magnitude of a vector is described by

Where,

Angle between the wire and the magnetic field

L = Length

B = Magnetic Field

I = Current

Since the lightning bolt is perpendicular to the earth then the angle is 90°, moreover we need find the force per meter, then

Replacing with our values

Therefore the force per meter on lightning volt is 0.6N/m

pe = weightxheight = 2000x1000=2,000,000joules

see earlier