Lightning effects
Lightning protection of buildings - physics

As an electrical phenomenon, lightning can have the same consequences as any other current flowing in an electrical conductor, or any current flowing through a poor conductor or insulator. Consequently, the following effects can be expected:

• thermal effects (melting and heat release) ;

• electrodynamic effects (forces between conductors) ;

• electrochemical effects (galvanic decomposition) ;

• acoustic effects (thunder).

Of these four types of effect, only the first two play a significant role in practice.