Topic
Carbon Fiber Poles in Thunderstorms
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Carbon Fiber Poles in Thunderstorms
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
Jul 20, 2007 at 9:06 am #1396053AnonymousInactive
But Lear, being self-righteous, had no fear of the lightening bolts, was not challenging God but seeking His wrath on others. Crazy maybe, but not suicidal. On the other hand, the lightning was, in accordance with his perception, his ally and he momentarily acting as a forward observer for God’s own artillery battery, called for fire upon, “… all germens spill at once That make ingrateful man!”
Jul 20, 2007 at 9:19 am #1396055“The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.”
—-Samuel Clemens (as Mark Twain)
Jul 20, 2007 at 9:40 am #1396057Wow, another Double Easy out there? Woohoo! And Imaginary numbers and Phasors, makes we want to go back and enroll in a graduate Transient Circuts course ;)
MikeB
Jul 20, 2007 at 10:05 am #1396058What you're describing is called a Faraday cage. For Alternating Current or fast transients like lightning, the energy tends to stay on the "outside" of the cage. (Unfortunately, the definition of the 'outside' is not always obvious or simple, and there is documentation for people dying who were on the inside of structures.)
The reason a Faraday cage works is that like charges repel, so if you're in your car and you are struck by a massive instaneous bolt of negative electrons (aka lightning), the charge rapidly distributes itself on the outside of the car because the negative charges repel each other.
A non-convertable car is usually a pretty good Faraday cage, assuming you're appendages remain on the 'inside', whatever that is.
If you were going to be struck by lightning, you would be better off being in a Faraday cage (assuming it was stout enough to conduct the current well enough to not plate the molten plasma onto your undershorts)
Next class, we'll be modeling lightning strikes to tents as fast transients using the SEPTRE analysis program. We'll need a volunteer to fly a balloon off their CF tent pole to see if the program accurately predicts survivability.
MikeB
Jul 20, 2007 at 10:13 am #1396060Working on it at least…
This semester should be lots of fun: Linear Systems, Electromagnetics, and Electronics I. Not to mention Linear Algebra. Its like having four math classes in one semester! All the excitement you can handle!
And don't be fooled, the name "phasor" makes it sound a lot more exciting than it really is.Adam
Note- Make sure sarcasm meter batteries are fully charged before reading above post.
Jul 20, 2007 at 10:14 am #1396061Sign me up!!
Ben Franklin
"Next class, we'll be modeling lightning strikes to tents as fast transients using the SEPTRE analysis program. We'll need a volunteer to fly a balloon off their CF tent pole to see if the program accurately predicts survivability.
MikeB"
Jul 22, 2007 at 7:17 pm #1396191This is too wierd. And it really is for real. I'm not drinking haven't had any prescription drugs in the last year, this is just wierd. I know I posted several times in this thread about lightning and Faraday cages in the past few days.
We're vacating at a beach house at Crystal Beach, TX, along comes a spectacular lightning storm in the Gulf of Mexico, we're watching it from the back porch, after a while, my oldest son and I come inside.
A few minutes later, at the same time we see a flash outside (which those still on the back porch claim hit one of the 20' high flagpoles on the porch) we hear and see this ZZZZAAAPPP! and flash ***inside*** the house, jumping from a tall vertical wooden support to a metal fixture to the faucet.
I immediately think the antenna or wiring must have been struck, but on closer inspection, there is no wiring in that immediate area. I'm guessing it jumped from the flagpole, to the roof, down this pillar, over to the metal fixture that holds up glass shelves (~8' long) then grounds to the plumbing.This is too wierd to have been talking about this on this board the last few days then ZZZZAAAPPP!
I'm not sure if I should take up religion or drinking….
MikeB
Jul 22, 2007 at 9:00 pm #1396199>>I'm not sure if I should take up religion or drinking….
How about Science?
>:-)>
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Our Community Posts are Moderated
Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting.
Get the Newsletter
Gear Research & Discovery Tools
- Browse our curated Gear Shop
- See the latest Gear Deals and Sales
- Our Recommendations
- Search for Gear on Sale with the Gear Finder
- Used Gear Swap
- Member Gear Reviews and BPL Gear Review Articles
- Browse by Gear Type or Brand.