In problem 12 on p. 663, you estimated the energy released in a bolt of lightning, based on the energy stored in the electric field
immediately before the lightning occurs. The assumption was that
the field would build up to a certain value, which is what is necessary
to ionize air. However, real-life measurements always seemed to
show electric fields strengths roughly 10 times smaller than those
required in that model. For a long time, it wasn’t clear whether the
field measurements were wrong, or the model was wrong. Research
carried out in 2003 seems to show that the model was wrong. It is
now believed that the final triggering of the bolt of lightning comes
from cosmic rays that enter the atmosphere and ionize some of the
air. If the field is 10 times smaller than the value assumed in problem
12, what effect does this have on the final result of problem 12?