If lightning strikes a metal pole, will it bend because of the force exerted by Earth's magnetic field on the current?
1 Answer
The intensity of Earth's magnetic field is 25 to 65 µT. The electric current of a typical lightning strike is about 30 kA. The resulting Laplace force is around 1 Newton per meter of pole. A pole or rod wide enough to not be vaporized by the current would most likely not be bent by such a small force.
For comparison, a typical telephone pole with a diameter of 20 cm would be subjected to the same force by a wind speed of ~10 km/h (light breeze).