. You know that air is a dielectric mediuna that breaJcs down in thc presence of

Question

. You know that air is a dielectric mediuna that breaJcs down in thc presence of a sufficiently strong electric field strength
(about 3 × 10^6 V/m). The breakdown occurs because the force on the electrons in the air molecules tears them away frotn
the rest of the molecules, ionizing the air and creating an electrical current (lightning and static shocks are examples of this
sort of phenomenon). You know that air molecules at room temperature move at about 500 m/s on average and you wonder
about the minimum naagnetic field strength you'd need in order to cause the air to ionize?

Explanation / Answer

The magnetic field is give by B = E/v = 3000000 V/m / 500 m/s = 6000 Wb/m

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