1. Explain how lightning occurs.

How does lightning form?

Lightning is an electric current. To make this electric current, first you need a cloud.

When the ground is hot, it heats the air above it. This warm air rises. As the air rises,
water vapour cools and forms a cloud. When air continues to rise, the cloud gets bigger and
bigger. In the tops of the clouds, temperature is below freezing and the water vapour turns
into ice.

Now, the cloud becomes a thundercloud. Lots of small bits of ice bump into each
other as they move around. All these collisions cause a build up of electrical charge.

Eventually, the whole cloud fills up with electrical charges. Lighter, positively
charged particles form at the top of the cloud. Heavier, negatively charged particles sink to
the bottom of the cloud.

When the positive and negative charges grow large enough, a giant spark - lightning
- occurs between the two charges within the cloud. This is like a static electricity sparks
you see, but much bigger.

Most lightning happens inside a cloud, but sometimes it happens between the cloud
and the ground.

A build up of positive charge builds up on the ground beneath the cloud, attracted to
the negative charge in the bottom of the cloud. The ground's positive charge concentrates
around anything that sticks up - trees, lightning conductors, even people! The positive
charge from the ground connects with the negative charge from the clouds and a spark of
lightning strikes.

2. Discuss ways of avoiding the dangers associated with lightning.

Follow these safety tips from the National Weather Service:

 When you hear thunder, immediately move to safe shelter: a substantial building
with electricity or plumbing or an enclosed, metal-topped vehicle with windows up.
 Stay in safe shelter at least 30 minutes after you hear the last sound of thunder.
 Stay off corded phones, computers and other electrical equipment that put you in
direct contact with electricity.
 Avoid plumbing, including sinks, baths and faucets.
 Stay away from windows and doors, and stay off porches.
 Do not lie on concrete floors, and do not lean against concrete walls.
If you are caught outside with no safe shelter anywhere nearby the following actions
may reduce your risk:
 Immediately get off elevated areas such as hills, mountain ridges or peaks.
 Never lie flat on the ground.
 Never shelter under an isolated tree.
 Never use a cliff or rocky overhang for shelter.
 Immediately get out and away from ponds, lakes and other bodies of water.
 Stay away from objects that conduct electricity (barbed wire fences, power lines,
windmills, etc.).

3. Explain how a lightning rod functions.

The purpose of lightning rods is often misunderstood. Many people believe that
lightning rods "attract" lightning. It is better stated to say that lightning rods provide
a low-resistance path to ground that can be used to conduct the enormous electrical
currents when lightning strikes occur. If lightning strikes, the system attempts to carry
the harmful electrical current away from the structure and safely to ground. The system
has the ability to handle the enormous electrical current associated with the strike. If
the strike contacts a material that is not a good conductor, the material will suffer
massive heat damage. The lightning-rod system is an excellent conductor and thus
allows the current to flow to ground without causing any heat damage.
What is a lightning?
The occurrence of a natural electrical discharge of very short duration and high
voltage between a cloud and the ground or within a cloud, accompanied by a bright
flash and typically also thunder.
 Where does a lightning originate?
Storm clouds are made from ice crystals and water vapor. Ice
crystals are higher up in the storm cloud where temperatures are
below freezing. When the ice crystals and water vapor bump into
each other and collide in the cloud, they create electrical charges –
which are necessary to create lightning.
 How powerful is a lightning bolt?
An average bolt of negative lightning carries an electric current of
30,000 amperes (30 kA), and transfers 15 coulombs of electric
charge and 500 megajoules of energy. Large bolts of lightning can
carry up to 120 kA and 350 coulombs.
 Can lightning’s energy be caught stored, and used?
Possibly;
A technology capable of harvesting lightning energy would need to be
able to rapidly capture the high power involved in a lightning bolt.
Several schemes have been proposed, but the ever-changing energy
involved in each lightning bolt renders lightning power harvesting
from ground based rods impractical – too high, it will damage the
storage, too low and it may not work.[citation needed] Additionally,
lightning is sporadic, and therefore energy would have to be collected
and stored; it is difficult to convert high-voltage electrical power to
the lower-voltage power that can be stored.[5]
In the summer of 2007, an alternative energy company called
Alternate Energy Holdings, Inc. (AEHI) tested a method for capturing
the energy in lightning bolts. The design for the system had been
purchased from an Illinois inventor named Steve LeRoy, who had
reportedly been able to power a 60-watt light bulb for 20 minutes
using the energy captured from a small flash of artificial lightning. The
method involved a tower, a means of shunting off a large portion of
the incoming energy, and a capacitor to store the rest. According to
Donald Gillispie, CEO of AEHI, they "couldn't make it work," although
"given enough time and money, you could probably scale this thing
up... it's not black magic; it's truly math and science, and it could
happen.
 How many people are killed by lightning per year?
Lightning strikes kill about 24,000 people worldwide each year, and
about 240,000 people are injured by lightning and survive.
 What can you do to prevent yourself from being struck by lightning?
Outdoor:
Stay away from open fields or hilltops.
Avoid swimming or watersports on rainy days.
Don't stand near trees or tall isolated objects.
Avoid metal objects, like fences or exposed pipes.
Indoor:
Add a lightning rod to your roof.
Avoid bathing, showering or using the sink as much as possible.
Turn off and stay away from wired electronics.
Keep your windows closed.
 Some people have been hit by lightning many times. Why have they
survived?
Some bolts will travel down a taller object, like a tree, then streak
down and lash out at unsuspecting passers-by. Others crash into the
ground, spreading their currents like gnarly fingers through roots,
then leap upward through a person’s feet. And still others — the
deadliest ones — strike straight down, like spears hurled from the
clouds.
When currents are forced to pass through other materials before
electrifying a body, some of their original energy and heat is lost,
somewhat mitigating the final blow. It’s not surprising, then, that the
worst of the lot are direct strikes, which don’t just sear burns on the
skin’s surface
 How many bushfires are started by lightning strikes?
Of those, 2804 were investigated and 209 were classed as arson.
Lightning strikes caused 546 bushfires. An analysis of Australian
bushfires over the past decade found that natural events, most
commonly started by lightning strikes, caused only 6 per cent of
bushfires in NSW.
 “Lightning never strikes twice in the same place”. Is this a myth or a
fact?
The old saying that 'lightning never strikes the same place twice' is
another myth that any veteran storm observer or researcher has seen
nature defy. Lightning can strike any location more than once. In fact,
given enough time, it is actually inevitable. It may take as little as less
than ten minutes within a single thunderstorm, or longer than a
million years - but lightning will eventually strike the same spot again
and again. A strike to any location does nothing to change the
electrical activity in the storm above, which will produce another
strike as soon as it 'recharges'. The previously hit location is then just
as fair game for the next discharge as any other spot.
 What are lightning rods? How do they function?
A lightning rod (US, AUS) or lightning conductor (UK) is a metal rod
mounted on a structure and intended to protect the structure from
a lightning strike. If lightning hits the structure, it will preferentially
strike the rod and be conducted to ground through a wire, instead of
passing through the structure, where it could start a fire or
cause electrocution. Lightning rods are also called finials, air terminals
or strike termination devices.
The purpose of lightning rods is often misunderstood. Many people
believe that lightning rods "attract" lightning. It is better stated to say
that lightning rods provide a low-resistance path to ground that can
be used to conduct the enormous electrical currents when lightning
strikes occur. If lightning strikes, the system attempts to carry the
harmful electrical current away from the structure and safely to
ground. The system has the ability to handle the enormous electrical
current associated with the strike. If the strike contacts a material that
is not a good conductor, the material will suffer massive heat damage.
The lightning-rod system is an excellent conductor and thus allows
the current to flow to ground without causing any heat damage.
 EXPLANATIONS:

Storm clouds are made from ice crystals and water vapor. Ice crystals are higher up in
the storm cloud where temperatures are below freezing. When the ice crystals and
water vapor bump into each other and collide in the cloud, they create electrical charges
– which are necessary to create lightning.

The positive charges are protons and are at the top of the cloud. The negative charges
are electrons and are at the bottom of the cloud. When these two charges interact with
each other, lightning strikes in the cloud and from cloud to cloud.

But lightning can also strike the ground and objects on the ground. This happens
through the same process. The ground and especially taller objects on it have positive
charges. The bottom of the storm cloud still has negative charges. When these opposite
charges interact, the same process of the lightning strike occurs.

Lightning Rods
Lightning rods were originally developed by Benjamin Franklin. A lightning rod is
very simple -- it's a pointed metal rod attached to the roof of a building. The rod
might be an inch (2 cm) in diameter. It connects to a huge piece of copper or
aluminum wire that's also an inch or so in diameter. The wire is connected to
a conductive grid buried in the ground nearby.

1
Stay away from open fields or hilltops. Lightning often strikes the tallest object in the
area, so avoid open fields or any hilltops. Look for a low-lying area like a valley or
ravine, preferably obscured from the rain. Take refuge here until the storm passes.
Crouch down with your heels touching and your head between your knees: this will
make you a smaller target.[2]
 Do not lie down flat, and minimize your contact with the ground. Lightning can be fatal
up to one hundred feet away from the initial strike.[3]
 2
Avoid swimming or watersports on rainy days. Check weather forecasts early in the
day, and avoid going to a swimming pool, river, lake, or beach on rainy days. If you find
yourself in open water during a thunderstorm, return to land immediately. If you are in a
boat and cannot return to safety, drop anchor and crouch as low as possible.[4]
 Do not return to the body of water until thirty minutes after the last lightning strike. Any
earlier, and the storm may not be over.[5]
 Indoor swimming is equally unsafe. Avoid all large bodies of water during a storm. [6]

3
Don't stand near trees or tall isolated objects. Taller objects are more likely to be
struck by lightning. Wherever you are, don't become the highest object anywhere. Avoid
standing under trees in a lightning storm, and stay away from tall objects like light
posts.[7]
 If you're in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees.[8]
 Umbrellas can increase your risk of getting hit if it is the tallest object in the area.[9]

4
Avoid metal objects, like fences or exposed pipes. Metal conducts electricity, and
you are much more likely to get hit. If you are carrying large metal objects, let them go.
Small metal objects, like piercings or electronic devices, do not carry a large risk and
are safe to hold.
 If you are riding a bicycle, drop the bike and crouch to the ground. Most bikes are made
of metal and are excellent lightning conductors.[10]
 Rubber shoes or other rubber objects will not actually protect you from metal's
conducting properties.[11]

1
Add a lightning rod to your roof. Lightning rods do not attract lightning but do
provide a path of least resistance if lightning hits your house. This can prevent the
electric current from damaging your home. Do not install a lightning rod yourself:
find an electrician certified to install lightning systems.[12]

2
Avoid bathing, showering, or using the sink as much as possible. During
thunderstorms, lightning can travel through water pipes if it strikes your home. Do not
bathe or shower until the storm has passed. If you have to use the sink, only do so in
emergencies.[13]
 Even showers or bathtubs that are completely enclosed without windows nearby put
you at-risk for electrocution because of the water pipes.
 Avoid areas with standing water or excessive moisture during storms, like a cellar
basement or patio slab.[14]
 Because porcelain is a great insulator, toilets are safe to use during lightning storms so
long as you aren't touching metal.[15]

3
Turn off and stay away from wired electronics. Using electronic devices that plug
into the wall is dangerous during a lightning storm. Avoid using TVs, washing machines,
and corded phones during thunderstorms. Wireless electronics, like cell phones, are
safe to use unless they are plugged into a charger.[16]
 Unplug electronic objects during a thunderstorm in case lightning strikes the house and
the surge short circuits them.[17]

4
Keep your windows closed. Avoid standing next to open windows or doors during a
thunderstorm. Although rare, lightning can travel through windows during storms. Glass
is a good insulator, so it is unlikely that the window will be struck if closed.
 Do not touch doorknobs during a storm, as metal conducts electricity.[18]