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If a lightning strike were to strike a muddy patch of ground how far away could you stand without being hurt?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
If lightning hit mud, it probably wouldn't travel that far. If you were not worried about your sight or hearing, it would probably be safe up to 40-50 feet away. I wouldn't recomend staning in mud during a thunderstorm though.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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How does thunder and lightning work?
Lightning is a discharge of electrical energy that builds up within a storm. The charges develop because a storm causes air to move around which rubs against itself to generate electrical charges. Eventually the charge increases to a point where the electricity can flow through the air. Once an electric discharge starts it provides a better path for more electrical flow than normal air due to ionization which results in a sudden, large and fast discharge (i.e. a lightning bolt).Negative charges at the bottom of the clouds repel the negative charges on the surface of the earth. This leaves the surface of the earth positive (the electrons on the ground migrate to get further away from the other electrons in the cloud). From there, the negative electrons from the cloud attract the positive electrons on the ground, which pulls electrons from the air. This usually occurs at a high point on the ground.Answer:When you have a thunderstorm that forms from convection and differences in temperature across a frontal boundary, you start to get differing charges building up between the cloud base and the ground. When the difference in charge gets great enough between the cloud base and the ground, the air becomes a conductor instead of being an insulator and a negatively charged stepped leader comes down from the cloud base and meets a positively charged return stroke from the ground. When this happens, we see visible lightning and positive charge is carried up into the cloud base, while negative charge is carried down into the ground, essentially it is a transfer of both of the charges involved in the electrical discharge. This lightning strike is called a negative strike because the stepped leader is negatively charged. There is also something called a positive lightning strike, where enough differing charge builds up between the top of the cumulonimbus cloud and the ground and the same transfer of positive and negative charges happens, but the stepped leader from the top of the cloud in this case is positively charged and the return stroke from the ground is negatively charged. Initially the top of the cloud is positively charged, the cloud base is negatively charged, and the ground is positively charged. Positive strikes are possible after several negative strikes between the cloud base and the ground have happened. Lastly, lightning strikes can go out a maximum of 10 miles ahead and behind the storm, so remember just the because it looks like the storm has passed, doesn't mean the threat of lightning doesn't exist. This is a more complete answer to your question. If you have any questions about the concepts that I presented in my answer, feel free to drop me a message on my message board.When you have a thunderstorm that forms from convection and differences in temperature across a frontal boundary, you start to get differing charges building up between the cloud base and the ground. When the difference in charge gets great enough between the cloud base and the ground, the air becomes a conductor instead of being an insulator and a negatively charged stepped leader comes down from the cloud base and meets a positively charged return stroke from the ground. When this happens, we see visible lightning and positive charge is carried up into the cloud base, while negative charge is carried down into the ground, essentially it is a transfer of both of the charges involved in the electrical discharge. This lightning strike is called a negative strike because the stepped leader is negatively charged. There is also something called a positive lightning strike, where enough differing charge builds up between the top of the cumulonimbus cloud and the ground and the same transfer of positive and negative charges happens, but the stepped leader from the top of the cloud in this case is positively charged and the return stroke from the ground is negatively charged. Initially the top of the cloud is positively charged, the cloud base is negatively charged, and the ground is positively charged. Positive strikes are possible after several negative strikes between the cloud base and the ground have happened. Lastly, lightning strikes can go out a maximum of 10 miles ahead and behind the storm, so remember just the because it looks like the storm has passed, doesn't mean the threat of lightning doesn't exist. This is a more complete answer to your question. If you have any questions about the concepts that I presented in my answer, feel free to drop me a message on my message board.
How do you protect standing crops from being destroyed?
Farmers put fences around their land to keep thieves and animals out. They put nets over blueberry bushes to keep birds from eating them. They shoot squirrels to protect pecan trees so they can harvest a crop and not have their pecans eaten by animals. They try to harvest wheat as soon as it is ripe so a lightning strike does not set it afire and burn up the crop or a hail storm does not beat it into the ground.
Do plants react to electrical impulse?
AnswerPlants have a certain amount of water or sap in them and could possibly conduct electricity.IN ADDITION:When lightning strikes the top of a tree and the lightning makes its way all the way to the ground, I would definitely say yes they do.
Can lightning appear to be colored black?
Dark Lightning Bolts?Lightning, being a glowing streak of light, can't be black because black is a color made from the absence of light. However, there IS such thing as a black rainbow. They're called "moonbows" because they're caused by moonlight and moist air rather than sunlight and rain.
Was William Morris rich?
He did alright without being wealthy.
What advantage did Zeus have over Percy in The Lightning Thief?
Whenever Percy is high off the ground, Zeus (being god of the sky) can simply strike him with lightning.
How can you do to prevent yourself from being struck by lightning?
If you're outside - make for open spaces, such as a sports field or park. Crouch down on the ground - the lower you are - the more chances a lightning strike will hit something taller than you.
How do lightning rod protect building from lightning?
The main way a lightning rod protects a building is by being higher than any other part of the building it maintains a cone of uncharged air over the building. This uncharged air cannot become charged when a thunderstorm passes over as the charges are continuously discharged through the ground wire from the rod to ground. As no charges can be built up within this cone, lightning cannot enter this cone to strike the building. The second way a lightning rod protects a building is that any lightning directly above the building can only strike the tip of the lightning rod itself. The current will then be forced to follow the ground wire from the rod to ground, bypassing the building. However as this current can be in the megaampere range it is necessary to have the complete lightning rod system inspected after any such strike to be sure that parts have not been melted and that the lightning rod is still protecting the building!
Do odds of lightning strike increase after initial strike?
The odds of a lightning strike do not necessarily increase after an initial strike. Each lightning strike is an independent event, and the odds of the next strike are determined by various factors such as weather conditions and geographical location. While lightning can be more likely during certain weather patterns, there is no direct correlation between subsequent strikes based on a previous one.
Why do some people survive after being hit by lightning?
The injury caused by a lightning strike depends greatly on the amount of current that enters the body. A lightning strike is very high voltage, but it can be distributed over a very large area (as shown by the dendritic branching patterns). Unless one is hit directly by a return stroke, the current can be carried through the liquids of the skin to the ground without causing fatal damage. A lightning strike on a sports field can injure as many as a dozen players, and yet kill no one. Some people have been hit more than once by lightning, suffering skin burns (especially on the head, back, or heels) and occasionally nerve damage.
Why do people survive after being hit by lightning?
The injury caused by a lightning strike depends greatly on the amount of current that enters the body. A lightning strike is very high voltage, but it can be distributed over a very large area (as shown by the dendritic branching patterns). Unless one is hit directly by a return stroke, the current can be carried through the liquids of the skin to the ground without causing fatal damage. A lightning strike on a sports field can injure as many as a dozen players, and yet kill no one. Some people have been hit more than once by lightning, suffering skin burns (especially on the head, back, or heels) and occasionally nerve damage.
What happens to an electric charge which a lightning rod receives from a strike?
Lightning is caused by electrons building up, either in the ground or in the clouds. When this electric potential becomes greater than the dielectric strength of the air between ground and clouds, the electrons will flow from one to another in the form of lightning. The dielectric strength of air is directly related to the distance between the two objects of interest. A lightning rod works by being higher than whatever it is meant to protect, so as electrons build up, lightning will strike the rod instead of whatever it is protecting. The lightning rod provides a low impedance path to ground, acting as a drain for the electrical build up. So it attracts lightning by being higher than whatever it is protecting; it also discharges the electrical potential by providing a low impedance path to ground.
What is the function of lighting conductor on tall building?
Prevent lightning strikes by creating a cone of discharged air around the building. Should it actually be struck by a lightning bolt it will almost certainly be damaged and may melt possibly causing a small fire on the outside wall, it should be inspected and will likely need to be replaced to continue to provide lightning protection.
What happens when someone gets stroke by lighting?
They die ps you spelt struck wrong A person does not always die after being struck by lightning. There are many occasions where people have survived a lightning strike. You can always do a search on lightning strike survivors and you will see this is true.
Does a lightning bolt originate from the ground?
I am 100 percent sure that lightning comes from the clouds. The bottom part of the clouds are sometimes negatively charged and when they get near high objects (usually trees or tall buildings) they release all the negative charged atoms as plasma.
If a lightning strike were to strike a swimming pool how far away could you stand without being hurt?
It is possible. The places where that could occur would be in an outdoor pool that has exposed metal or in an indoor pool with a glass door, window or ceiling.
Do magnets attract lightning?
Nothing attracts lightning, unless the lightning can get to the ground easier through that thing than it can through the air. A magnet doesn't attract lightning unless it's stuck in the ground, wired to the ground, or held by a nice moist squishy human being who's standing on the ground. The same goes for any piece of metal, whether or not it's a magnet.
