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Re: lightning dangers

On Thu, 29 Apr 1999, Mike Wilson wrote:


As a high school teacher I'm not sure the function of the lightning rod
as a reducer of the voltage of a strike is clear. In class I hold a pin in
my hand and touch a charged VandeGraaf sphere. I can do this with
no shock.

I have read few of the previous notes, so this may have been covered, but
the shock you feel from static electricity is not electrical, but thermal
because of the high current density at the point of contact. When you
hold on to a metal object, a pin or a key, the current is distributed
over a large area, the current density is reduced, and you feel nothing.

cheers