What is Electric spark?
[[File:Lightning_NOAA.jpg|thumb|[[Lightning]] is a natural example of an '''Electric spark'''.]] An '''Electric spark''' is a sudden burst of [[electricity]] that takes place when a very strong [[electric field]] makes a path through something that usually doesn't conduct electricity, like [[air]] or [[Gas|gases]]. This can happen when there's a buildup of [[electric charge]] in one place and it suddenly discharges. [[Michael Faraday]], a famous [[scientist]], was one of the first to study how electric sparks form.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/14986|title=Experimental Researches in Electricity, Volume 1|date=9 February 2005|publisher=Project Gutenberg|at=Paragraph 69|language=English}}</ref> When the electric field becomes strong enough, it overcomes the normal [[Electrical resistance|resistance]] of the material and creates a channel through which the electricity can flow. This channel becomes [[Ionization|ionized]], which means the [[Atom|atoms]] in the material lose or gain [[Electron|electrons]], making it able to conduct electricity. The strength of the electric field needed to create a spark depends on the material involved. For air, which is commonly where electric spark takes place, the breakdown strength is about 30,000 [[Volt|volts]] per [[Centimetre|centimeter]] at [[sea level]]. In other words, when the electric field reaches this level, it's strong enough to make a spark jump through the air.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Meek | first1 = J. | title = A Theory of Spark Discharge | url = https://archive.org/details/sim_physical-review_1940-04-15_57_8/page/n54 | journal = Physical Review | volume = 57 | pages = 722–728 | year = 1940 | doi = 10.1103/PhysRev.57.722 |bibcode = 1940PhRv...57..722M | issue = 8 }}</ref> Electric sparks are often seen in situations like [[lightning]] during [[Storm|storms]] or when [[static electricity]] builds up and discharges, such as when you touch a [[metal]] object after shuffling your [[feet]] on a [[carpet]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Electrostati