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nigelswift N
nigelswift Jan 15, 2004 11:33:24
Replying to BigSweetie

Actually, that fits with my O-level hypothesis, in that both those plus the only other ones I've been able to find WEREN'T pointy, and pointy things, like lightning conductors, leak charge and reduce the potential for a strike. In stubby things it builds up and you get a strike. Watch out if you have a stubby extremity.

S Steve Gray
Steve Gray Jan 15, 2004 12:04:55
Replying to nigelswift

Pointy things do tend to leak charge and therefore do tend to neutralise atmospheric potential, but they have to be quite tall and very pointy to have a significant impact on reducing the (huge) atmospheric charge and if they can't reduce it enough to prevent a strike then they become a target for the strike.

On the other hand stubby objects are just in the lottery with every other short stubby object in the area.

If you look at photographs of lightning strikes, there are sometimes small side traces near the ground, looking rather like a river delta. If you have pointy extremities you are more likely to attract (or generate) one of these if there is a nearby strike.