Re: Lightning & Bathtubs

On Thu, 05 Jun 2008 06:57:11 -0700, w_tom wrote:

On Jun 3, 10:58 pm, dnoyeB <as...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
A lightning strike results when static builds up. Grounding the house,
and creating sharp pointy objects into the air is a way for the static
charge to leak off and disipate. However, if the build up is really
quick, then the lightning strike will be right in the same place that
was leaking off the static. The lightning rod.

That pointy little rod will discharge miles of air between cloud and
ground? When ESE providers submitted their products approved by the
NFPA. NFPA had one simple problem. No proof and no research exists
that ESE devices (that discharge air) work as posted here.

Yes. The same force that causes the lightning between "cloud and ground"
also causes the static to leak off. Its the nature of static electricity.


If discharging air causes no lightnng, then the Empire State
Building (a conductive steel and concrete rod) is never struck?
Nonsense. Even a wooden structure is sufficiently conductive enough to
discharge that air. Why does lightning strike a wooden church steeple?
Because discharging inches of air does not stop lightning.

Never said it causes no lightning. If you read somewhere that lightning
rods prevent lightning then it was not from me.

Its not condictivity that leaks off static charge. Its the pointyness.
You will have to undestand Gauss Law. A conductive structure that does
not have pointy tip will not leak off charge nearly as much as one that
does. That is why when you see devices that are trying to "create"
lightning by storing up charge, they will be as "unpointy" as possible.
And whats the most unpointy thing you can create? A shpere.


Lightning will strike. Does lightning strike a conductive material
(ie wood) destructively or does it strike a well earthed lightning rod?
How good is that lightning rod? Lightning energy gets dissipated
destructively in a building (ie wood) or gets dissipated harmlessly in
earth. Stopping lightning was the ESE manufacturer claim made to NFPA.
That claim was completely rejected.

Stopping is an impossible claim. Unless it chases away the clouds...
.

Relevant Pages

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