Posted on 07/03/2023 4:57:23 PM PDT by bluescape
Does anyone know if the myth of lightning striking the ground causing a shock to someone say in the bathtub or washing in the sink is true?
Supposedly it could strike the metal pipes underground and travel up the line to connect with the bathtub you're in.
I've found myself waiting for a storm to pass just in case, but it might be hogwash. On the other hand I know someone who saw a person struck by lightning and it killed the crap out of them. I'd hate to learn the truth of this from experience.
Electrons always travel on the surface of a conductor. This is a manifestation of Gauss's Law - generally the first listed of the four Maxwell's Equation. There is virtually no way for the electrons to get into the water stream inside the pipe. PEX and PVC are both insulators and electrons could not penetrate copper piping to get into the water stream.
More bacon is a good thing.
Because just getting killed isn’t bad enough.
. Well, if lightening 'killed the crap out of YOU'
would you want the added embarrassment of soiling
you pants added to the embarrassment of merely being dead?
Would ya? Ehh?
Well, what’s physics got to do with it?
Zot!
—> water (oxygen and hydrogen) is not that conductive,
That said, I still wouldn’t plug in a radio and drop it into a tub…
Because the Braking News category is limited to vehicular related posts only? 🙂
By struck directly by lightning is a very different thing
I’ve never heard of a case where lightning struck the ground and someone got a shock from water
Well, high frequency current travels on the surface of a conductor. DC travels through the bulk of the conductor.
But if we’re talking lightning, yeah, it’s all real high frequency, so it would be mostly on the surface.
Of course pipes are kind of heavy on surface area compared to their volume, so there’s that.
The big thing that Gauss’s law says is that if you’re inside a conducting shell, you’re unconditionally safe. Well, as long as the lightning strike doesn’t actually melt the shell. That’s why inside a plane or a car is safe.
Electric field lines can’t cross a conductor. At least, not a perfect conductor. An aluminum tube is a pretty good conductor.
What happens when lightning strikes a house?
Bottom line is, better to be safe than sorry. 🙂
Lightning striking a pipe underground and shocking someone in a tub is nonsense. Electricity always takes the path of least resistance to ground. The earth around the pipe is the ground. Now if it strikes the building you are in, I don’t see a path from the shower head to the ground being more direct than the piping.
I laughed harder than I probably should have at that.
You’re EVIL!
LOLOL!
Lightning disproportionately affects women and minorities
Years ago I was bass fishing in the Everglades with two industrial strength engineers. We were in a metal boat. A hellacious rain storm with plenty of lightning hit us. I wanted to head for shore, but the two fellows said not to worry. I’m still here so It must have be okay.
Metal water pipes make a pretty solid connection to the ground.
FTFY
Water is a poor conductor of electricity.
Oxygen is not flammable, technically.
It does support combustion very nicely, though.
You and I see things similarly.
I roasted a big pack of bacon about 3 days ago. It’s about time to do it again.
That isn't a path electricity would take. The path would be through your hands to your feet. Also, the current doesn't have to go through your heart to hurt or kill you.
Electricity follows the path of least resistance
++++++++++++++
Please elaborate in the case of parallel resistances.
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