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My Activities Tell me what you want to do Q ir due to the sudden thermal expansion of the plasma in the lightning channel The temperature inside the lightning channel measured by spectral analysis varies during its 50 us existence rising sharply from an initial temperature of about 20 000 K to about 30 000 K then dropping away gradually to about 10 000 K The average is about 20 400 K 20 100 C 36 300 F This heating causes it to expand outward plowing into the surrounding cooler air at a speed faster than sound would travel in that cooler air The outward moving pulse that results is a shock wave similar in principle to the shock wave formed by an explosion or at the front of a supersonic aircraft More recently the consensus around the cause of the shock wave has been eroded by the observation that measured overpressures in simulated lightning are greater than could be achieved by the amount of heating found Alternative proposals rely on electrodynamic effects of the massive current acting on the plasma in the bolt of lightning This shockwave is sufficient to cause injury such as internal contusion to individuals nearby What is the central idea of the passage Effects of thunder O Heat energy formed by thunder Advancement in finding the causes of thunder over the years

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