Rolan D.

Mangiwet

7-A

January 25, 2016

1. What is lightning?
- Lightning is a sudden electrostatic discharge during an electrical
storm between electrically charged regions of a cloud between that cloud and another
cloud (CC lightning), or between a cloud and the ground
2. Where does a lightning originate?
- Lightning forms when opposite charges between a cloud and the ground or between
two clouds develop.
3. How powerful is a lightning bolt?
- An average bolt of negative lightning carries an electric current of 30,000 amperes
(30 kA), and transfers 15 coulombs of electric charge and 500 mega joules of energy.
Large bolts of lightning can carry up to 120 kA and 350 coulombs.
4. Can lightnings energy be caught, stored and used?
- The logistical problems involved in making it work are significant.
- First of all, there's the basic fact that thunder storms are sporadic and lighting strikes
random; considering that energy demands are steady, dependable energy sources are
preferable.
- Second, it's not so easy to capture energy delivered in one enormous blast in a split
second. It has to be stored and converted to an alternating current, without blowing
out the collection system in a single large strike.
- Third, the energy contained in a lightning bolt disperses as it travels down to Earth, so
a tower would only capture a small fraction of the bolt's potential. In the end, barring
the development of a technology that could capture the energy from lightning before
it strikes, it's probably best to focus on other, more earthly sources of energy.
5. How many people are killed by lightning per year?
- One estimate is that 24,000 people are killed by lightning strikes around the world
each year and about 240,000 are injured. Another estimate is that the annual global
death toll is 6,000.
6. What can you do to prevent yourself from being struck by lightning?
- The most important thing to know is that there is no safe place to be sheltered from
lightning outdoors. When you first hear thunder, you should immediately seek shelter
in a "safe" building. After seeking shelter in a building or car, remain inside until 30
minutes after you hear the last clap of thunder.
7. Some people have been hit by lightning many times? Why have they survived?
- Lightning strikes generally don't cause a lot of tissue damage at least at the core vital
areas, most of the "damage" occurs near the feet assuming the person is standing at
the time. Most victims that are fatally wounded usually die of cardiac arrest. So, if
there is medical attention within the immediate vicinity namely, a defibrillator, the
fatality rate decreases dramatically. Keep in mind these are all generalities, each case
is unique and has it's own factors.

8. How many bush fires are started by lightning strikes?

- Local fire departments responded to an estimated average of 22,600 fires per year that
were started by lightning. These fires caused an average of nine civilian deaths, 53
civilian injuries, and $451 million in direct property damage per year. Most of these
fires occurred outdoors, but most associated deaths, injuries, and property damage
were associated with home fires. Fires started by lightning peak in the summer
months and in the later afternoon and early evening.
9. Lightning never strikes twice in the same place. Is this a myth or a fact?
- Lightning can strike any location more than once. In fact, given enough time, it is
actually inevitable. It may take as little as less than ten minutes within a single
thunderstorm, or longer than a million years - but lightning will eventually strike the
same spot again and again. A strike to any location does nothing to change the
electrical activity in the storm above, which will produce another strike as soon as it
'recharges'. The previously hit location is then just as fair game for the next discharge
as any other spot.
10. What are lighting rods? How do they function?
- The lightning rod, which Benjamin Franklin invented in 1749, is a metal pole
mounted atop a building that draws lightning's electrical charge away from the
structure. The rod is attached to an aluminum or copper cable that's connected to an
underground conductive grid. This allows the electricity to dissipate harmlessly.
Because lightning tends to strike the tallest object in the vicinity, lightning rods must
be taller than any buildings or other objects in the area.