electrical discharge

Other forms: electrical discharges

Definitions of electrical discharge

1. noun

   a discharge of electricity
   types:

   impulse, nerve impulse, nervous impulse, neural impulse

   the electrical discharge that travels along a nerve fiber

   spike

   a transient variation in voltage or current

   atmospheric electricity

   electrical discharges in the atmosphere

   action potential

   the local voltage change across the cell wall as a nerve impulse is transmitted

   elves

   an acronym for emissions of light and very low frequency perturbations due to electromagnetic pulse sources; extremely bright extremely short (less than a msec) electrical flashes forming a huge ring (up to 400 km diameter) in the ionosphere

   blue jet, jet, reverse lightning

   atmospheric discharges (lasting 10 msec) bursting from the tops of giant storm clouds in blue cones that widen as they flash upward

   lightning

   abrupt electric discharge from cloud to cloud or from cloud to earth accompanied by the emission of light

   red sprites, sprites

   atmospheric electricity (lasting 10 msec) appearing as globular flashes of red (pink to blood-red) light rising to heights of 60 miles (sometimes seen together with elves)

   type of:

   discharge

   the sudden giving off of energy