When I was living in the US, a small place called Mucwonago, there were horrific lightning storms.
So much so, that when you stepped outside you could sometimes feel the hair on your haid stand straight up...static, if you will.
I was told that this is because of your positive (or negative...one of the two) ions being the highest in the vicinity and that this means the lightning is going to strike you.
Well. I found that very reassuring to know.
Even more reassuring was what I was told to do, should I find myself in that position:
Kneel down, place both hands on your knees and your head lower than your shoulder. Then when the lightning strikes, it will hit your shoulder, go through your arms, into your legs and into the ground. Missing all your vital organs.
This, I found even more reassuring, I assure you.
A few times I actually found myself stepping out of the door and my hair raising skywards.
Believe me, I didn't listen to the advice, I just dived straight back indoors and had another Mountain Dew.
THEN!
I was watching a programme on Discovery channel (about 3 years ago), and as we all know, Discovery channel is a source of wisdom that should not be challenged, and on this programme they alleged that lightning does not strike from the sky downwards! NAY! It strikes from the ground upwards! Which they showed in slow motion footage.
I was just over in the asylum a minute ago and one of the debates was marginally talking about lightning and it got me thinking about this subject again. And this is what I want to know:
Does lightning go up or down?
Does kneeling with your head lower than you shoulders really work?
Has anyone ever tried it?
And why????
Originally posted by shavixmirSeen that documentary.. basically lightning strike from the Heavens towards the Earth, however, the charge hitting down is so very heavy and so demanding and strong that the earth responds with its own charge upwards in desperation to complete the circuit.
When I was living in the US, a small place called Mucwonago, there were horrific lightning storms.
So much so, that when you stepped outside you could sometimes feel the hair on your haid stand straight up...static, if you will.
I was told that this is because of your positive (or negative...one of the two) ions being the highest in the vicinity an ...[text shortened]... with your head lower than you shoulders really work?
Has anyone ever tried it?
And why????
It is like when you place a piece of magnet near another.. just before they touch the one that you are not holding draws closer to the one in your hand.
You can actually experiment and do this in the lab! do you know when you charge while you are walking, the you hold a door or something and it goes pzzzzzt! do it again, and as you are about to touch that metal object to earth the charge, you will see a line of "lightning" going off from your finger, and just before it reaches the metal bit, your will see (in very slow motion) a bit of charge jumping through from the metal to meet that charge in mid air..
As for the head lower than the shoulder business, i bet its a trick to make you look silly.. Open door, oh waw look at my hair standing up, I better kneel randomly and lower my head.... for how long? till you get hit? hmmm..
Or maybe it originated from the native Indians who used to praise the lightning storms and pray to them... either way it’s a mystery, and I rather do what you did and get back inside.
Originally posted by shavixmirImagine two metal balls with opposite charges, between them air. If we slowly increase the charges on the balls eventually we will reach a point where the charge is such that current can flow through the air. It will do so in the form of a spark. This is really all that is happening in a lightning storm. Charge builds in the cloud and then eventually it is discharged through the path of least resistance. If you happen to be on the path of least resistance you will be struck.
Does lightning go up or down?
Does kneeling with your head lower than you shoulders really work?
Has anyone ever tried it?
And why????
The spark travels from negative to positive. However, lightning clouds are not always one of those. Therefore there are times when lightning will travel upwards and times when it will travel downwards (the first is more common than the second).
If you are stuck in the open in a lightning storm what you want to do is attempt to increase your resistance so that you are not the path the lightning travels through. Stay on your feet (the soles of your shoes are good insulators), crouch down (knees off the ground) and cover your head.
http://img107.imageshack.us/img107/2852/crouch4uo.jpg
Originally posted by PeachyWell, well Peachy, it is good to see you making a sensible post at last. You bring to my mind in a small way the phenomenon of Sir Oliver Lodge who, despite being a competent scientist, believed in fairies and published faked photographs to prove their existence.
Seen that documentary.. basically lightning strike from the Heavens towards the Earth, however, the charge hitting down is so very heavy and so demanding and strong that the earth responds with its own charge upwards in desperation to complete the circuit.
It is like when you place a piece of magnet near another.. just before they touch the one that you ar ...[text shortened]... d pray to them... either way it’s a mystery, and I rather do what you did and get back inside.
Originally posted by NargagunaAnd now all we have to do is wait for a sensible post from Naziguna.
Well, well Peachy, it is good to see you making a sensible post at last. You bring to my mind in a small way the phenomenon of Sir Oliver Lodge who, despite being a competent scientist, believed in fairies and published faked photographs to prove their existence.
Originally posted by PeachyYou can see this even better if you take a hair pin in your right hand and a hair pin in your left hand and then plug the hairpins into an electrical outlet.
You can actually experiment and do this in the lab! do you know when you charge while you are walking, the you hold a door or something and it goes pzzzzzt! do it again, and as you are about to touch that metal object to earth the charge, you will see a line of "lightning" going off from your finger, and just before it reaches the metal bit, your will see (in ...[text shortened]... ry slow motion) a bit of charge jumping through from the metal to meet that charge in mid air.
This is a joke do not try this!!!