Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Lightning Rod

Morgan - 30-3-2014 at 08:04

This was an interesting effect of lightning on a carbon fiber fishing rod. One time I used a propane torch on a golf club made of carbon fiber to melt off the binder. The fibers just sort of glowed after all the low temperature material was burned off.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCRguPMjXLw#t=21s
http://imgur.com/gallery/F1S8M

Fantasma4500 - 30-3-2014 at 09:27

''lightning struck the rod first''
recalling to have heard that lightning does not come from the sky but rather from the ground (in this case the water) then goes upwards to the skies
ohwell i could be wrong, its the news after all (!)
pretty interesting story tho, seems... very weird...
wonder what the material would be.. it would still be carbon, if it was carbon.. but surely something happened to it

Chemosynthesis - 30-3-2014 at 10:42

Quote: Originally posted by Antiswat  
''lightning struck the rod first''
recalling to have heard that lightning does not come from the sky but rather from the ground (in this case the water) then goes upwards to the skies


I've heard it's even more variable than this answer for general public consumption would bely, but here it is claimed "both."
https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/lightning/faq/

macckone - 30-3-2014 at 18:56

Shortest answer is it doesn't matter if the lightning starts at the ground or the cloud. The current travels through the object and possibly the person. It doesn't matter much to the dead guy if it started on the ground or in the sky.