A3_4 ‘Afraid of a Little Lightning?’: Mjolnir’s Capacitance

Authors

  • Rosie Hodnett University of Leicester
  • Michele Capoccia University of Leicester
  • Eleanor Morton University of Leicester
  • Daniel Potts University of Leicester
  • Sam Shingles University of Leicester

Abstract

Thor’s hammer, Mjolnir, appears to store the energy from lighting. By modelling Mjolnir as a parallel plate capacitor, with a hollow centre, we calculated that it has a capacitance of 2.1 ×10^−11 F. To store the energy of one lightning bolt, an electric field of 1.6 ×10^12 Vm−1 is created. This would ionise any air inside Mjolnir, and so a dielectric is needed to maintain the capacitor.

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Published

10/25/2019

How to Cite

Hodnett, R., Capoccia, M., Morton, E., Potts, D., & Shingles, S. (2019). A3_4 ‘Afraid of a Little Lightning?’: Mjolnir’s Capacitance. Physics Special Topics, 18(1). Retrieved from https://journals.le.ac.uk/index.php/pst/article/view/3303

Issue

Vol. 18 No. 1 (2019): Physics Special Topics

Section

Articles