Woman shoots lightning out her ass

Dionysus · #1 10-09-2006, 01:45 PM

This has got to be the craziest thing I've heard of.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...-13762,00.html

_Opi_ · #2 10-09-2006, 02:40 PM

That is so strange.

I learned in highschool geography that when you "feel" you're about to be struck by lightening to stand on one foot, and the other foot raised. If you're standing with both feet on the ground, the lightening will pass through you, and the travel up the other leg and kill you. If you stand on one foot, however, it's grounded on the floor? or something like that.

DeltAlum · #3 10-09-2006, 05:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Opi_

That is so strange.

I learned in highschool geography that when you "feel" you're about to be struck by lightening to stand on one foot, and the other foot raised. If you're standing with both feet on the ground, the lightening will pass through you, and the travel up the other leg and kill you. If you stand on one foot, however, it's grounded on the floor? or something like that.

Questionable.

Lightening, like any electricity, is going to find the easiest path to ground. I don't think it makes much difference whether one foot or two are on the ground -- if the the lightening stikes one part of your body and exits either foot to ground, it ain't a good thing.

AGDee · #4 10-09-2006, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Opi_

That is so strange.

I learned in highschool geography that when you "feel" you're about to be struck by lightening to stand on one foot, and the other foot raised. If you're standing with both feet on the ground, the lightening will pass through you, and the travel up the other leg and kill you. If you stand on one foot, however, it's grounded on the floor? or something like that.

I heard you should drop to the ground and roll in an effort to avoid it.

DeltAlum · #5 10-09-2006, 08:07 PM

Actually, dropping to the ground might help, but only because lightening will generally strike the highest path to earth -- which is why it isn't safe to try to hide under a tree. I suppose that dropping to the ground could make you "lower" than something else that might be close by. You should stay away from high places -- like mountain cliffs or high hills, and off flat places like golf courses where you might be the highest thing in the immediate area.

What it really comes down to is you're probably safer in a house or car.

_Opi_ · #6 10-10-2006, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Questionable.

Lightening, like any electricity, is going to find the easiest path to ground. I don't think it makes much difference whether one foot or two are on the ground -- if the the lightening stikes one part of your body and exits either foot to ground, it ain't a good thing.

I don't know how much of it is true, but I did remember that my teacher made us a watch a program on it. I think the premise was that when the lightening hits you, it travels through your body, channels out of one leg, goes up the other and may lead to serious brain damage/death. I personally would not test out this theory but hey lol

highflyerlaura · #7 10-10-2006, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Actually, dropping to the ground might help, but only because lightening will generally strike the highest path to earth -- which is why it isn't safe to try to hide under a tree. I suppose that dropping to the ground could make you "lower" than something else that might be close by. You should stay away from high places -- like mountain cliffs or high hills, and off flat places like golf courses where you might be the highest thing in the immediate area.

What it really comes down to is you're probably safer in a house or car.

Not necessarily Delta.

I was at a horse riding competition one time and lightening hit our truck. Luckly no-one was inside or any horses were tied to the truck at the time, but it wreaked every single circuit in the vehicle and left a nice big charred mark on the roof of the truck.

epchick · #8 10-10-2006, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Actually, dropping to the ground might help, but only because lightening will generally strike the highest path to earth -- which is why it isn't safe to try to hide under a tree. I suppose that dropping to the ground could make you "lower" than something else that might be close by. You should stay away from high places -- like mountain cliffs or high hills, and off flat places like golf courses where you might be the highest thing in the immediate area.

What it really comes down to is you're probably safer in a house or car.

your probably safer in a house, but I don't know about a car. There are so many metal objects and things that are so near to you in a car that it could be fatal too.

AT the moment the thing that comes to mind is an episode of CSI: Las Vegas, where they were trying to figure out how a guy died in his car. Turns out that a downed power line hit the top roll bar on his Jeep. Now, this guy was driving with one hand, and had the other arm laying down on window "ledge" (you know how when you roll down your window, you somtimes rest your forearm on that little indentation?).

Now the circuit went through the roll bar, up through his watch, across the seat belt buckle, and made his heart stop. I don't know how accruate that is in real life, but i've heard that if your car was to get hit by lightning, your not suppose to touch ANYTHING, your not even suppose to move, because the lightning is still traveling around your car, and any slight movement can send a shock through your body.

DeltAlum · #9 10-10-2006, 05:15 PM

Rubber is one of the best insulators, so, in theory, as long as the car isn't touching something else (a tree branch, etc.), the tires should insulate it and it should be reasonably safe. If it is touching something that will take electricity to ground, though, all bets are off. For instance, if a chain or the stand at the tongue of the trailer was touching, that creates the path to ground. Also, if either were close to touching, a strong current can bridge a small air gap. If there is a strong strike close by, there may be enough static to damage electrical equipment -- and possibly even people, I suppose. I've heard of people being injured in motor vehicles if they are touching a metal part of the car and have a foot on the ground. Generally, though, you don't hear of cars being struck or you would be strongly discouraged from ever driving during a lightening storm.

Understand that I'm not a lightning expert -- but know a fair amount about electricity.

I was once in a TV production truck which was "struck." It certainly did fun things to the equipment -- but I suspect that we were really close to a strike, as oppossed to actually being hit directly.

Any time lightning strikes a person, there is an entry and exit point and any internal organs in that path could be seriously burned, or otherwise affected, so again, I don't think it makes much difference if one or both feet are on the ground.

KSig RC · #10 10-10-2006, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by _Opi_

I don't know how much of it is true, but I did remember that my teacher made us a watch a program on it. I think the premise was that when the lightening hits you, it travels through your body, channels out of one leg, goes up the other and may lead to serious brain damage/death. I personally would not test out this theory but hey lol

Actually the reason why it was suggested is probably the same reason Delt gave - the lightning will 'ground' no matter what, so lifting one leg gives it only one grounding location to exit. If you keep both legs down, it will escape from both grounding locations - this allows it to travel across the chest/heart, and possibly the brain, all of which . . . don't play well with current, to say the least.

RU OX Alum · #11 10-11-2006, 09:34 AM

i heard a car was the safest place to be because it was metal the shape of the car channeled it away from you, around you and into the tires which are then burnt b/c they're insulators.

DeltAlum · #12 10-11-2006, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

i heard a car was the safest place to be because it was metal the shape of the car channeled it away from you, around you and into the tires which are then burnt b/c they're insulators.

Actually, I think the main reason a car is reasonably safe is that the tires are insulators which makes it highly unlikely that the car will be struck in the first place because there is no path to ground -- unless as mentioned above, the car is touching something else that is grounded.

I'm not sure why the shape would have anything to do with it.

adpiucf · #13 10-11-2006, 11:45 AM

Holy cow. You just can't make this stuff up.

RU OX Alum · #14 10-11-2006, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

Actually, I think the main reason a car is reasonably safe is that the tires are insulators which makes it highly unlikely that the car will be struck in the first place because there is no path to ground -- unless as mentioned above, the car is touching something else that is grounded.

I'm not sure why the shape would have anything to do with it.

I think it was bill nye science guy video or something, but the lightning travels whatever it struck, and...actully, I remember now. In the middle of a metal cage suspended by plastic is the safest place during lightning, because there won't be any left. (electricity) the car works like afunnel or rain drain and carries the charge away from the center of cage/car

RU OX Alum · #15 10-11-2006, 12:20 PM

is it bad that when i see this thread the electric boogie starts playing in my head?

ETA: the ?