Lightning or Thunder who is not afraid of this natural event. Lightning, thunder, or lightning is a natural phenomenon that usually appears during the rainy season when the sky led to a blinding flash of light momentarily.
Moments later followed with a booming voice called thunder. The time difference is due to the emergence of a difference between the speed of sound (340 m / s) and the speed of light (300,000,000 m / s).
Lightning is very dangerous for dikenainya to make their lives. But lightning was created with the aim to dispose of the excess electron charge through the air to reach equilibrium.
How occurrence of lightning?
Lightning occurs because there is a potential difference between cloud and earth or with other clouds. The process of the charge on the clouds as he moves continuously on a regular basis, and during the movement he will interact with other cloud so that the negative charge will gather on one side (top or bottom), while the positive charge gathered on the reverse side.
If the potential difference between the cloud and the earth is big enough, it will happen disposal negative charge (electrons) from cloud to earth or vice versa to reach equilibrium. In the process of disposal of this charge, the media through which the electron is air. At the time of the electrons can penetrate the threshold of this air insulation explosion sound.
Lightning is more common in the rainy season, due to the state of the air contains a higher moisture content so that power down insulation and current flows more easily. Because there is a cloud of negatively charged and positively charged clouds, then lightning can also occur between different cloud charge.
Interesting Facts About Lightning
Around the world some 14 million lightning per year or 40,000 per day lightning !, especially in the rainy season with great intensity of rain water.
Lightning usually end up only 15 to 30 minutes after it started, but another storm may be a new start in the same area. (source: ck-12.org)
Lightning strength ever recorded the start of thousands of amperes up to 200,000 amperes. This figure is equivalent to the power needed to power 500 thousand 100-watt light bulb.
Although the lightning current is only momentary, for approximately 200 micro-seconds but the damage is very remarkable. Effects of direct attack is evident, ranging from damage to the building, fire, until the danger of death to humans.
dangers of Lightning
Lightning is a natural phenomenon that needs to be watched because there are so many victims. Lightning kills about 200 people in the United States and injuring about 550 Americans per year, largely due to a lightning strike.
Lightning not only can kill people with sambarannya but also can blow up electronic devices such as laptops and mobile phones.
Solutions
That is why humans developed tools lightning rod. Can you imagine if there was no lightning rod skyscraper buildings will be destroyed instantly. The Empire State Building in New York City just struck about 100 times per year. That's a lightning rod for much needed and installed in every high-rise buildings.
Well, What about us who are outdoors or inside the house though?
There are several methods to protect themselves and the environment from lightning strikes. The simplest method but very effective is the Faraday cage method. Namely with protecting the area to be secured by encapsulating use earthing conductors connected with. This place serves the grounding of the electrical charge of the copper conductor cable to the grounding rod embedded in the ground.
Find shelter in a building or car. Many people think that the rubber tires can make you safe in the car because the rubber can not conduct electricity, whereas in the region a strong electric current, rubber tires can be a powerful conductor rather than an insulator. Why you're safe in the car, because lightning will walk around the surface of the vehicle, then towards the ground. So that motorists do not have to worry about the lightning strike. due to lightning striking the car immediately neutralized to the ground. Passengers on board the aircraft are also safe because the plane is made of a material that can protect passengers from lightning.
For staff working at the airport, do not take shelter under the wing of the plane and near the wheel when it rains. The reason, the high position of the tail can be struck by lightning and flows directly into the fuselage.
Avoid sheltering under towering metal objects. People who are in a structure made of metal, for example tower, must immediately enter into the structure. Do not touch the metal structure hit by lightning
When you are on the ship, stay away from the mast so as not struck by lightning
To avoid lightning in the open, you can also squat by placing both feet. then bow your head as low as possible without touching the ground.
That way, lightning strikes near you will not flow into the body. However, if your legs open, the lightning will jump into your body. Remember the description on strike because the line voltage -> You can only create a single point of contact with the ground.
If you're swimming and suddenly dark clouds, get out of the pool and into the nearest building
If by chance you are standing in the open, immediately approached a higher object, do not even get away. But remember, do not get too close to the object. The safest maximum distance is 2.5 meters high from the object. The farther away from tall objects, the more at risk of being struck by lightning.
Do not stand under a tree when it rains. A lightning strike to a tree can jump into the body. Tendrils tree can also deliver lightning into the body.
Do not stand clustered with other people when you are outdoors. Make the distance between the approximately five (5) meters
If you do not find shelter, squat, as described above, try the hand is not touching the ground and do not lie because it can facilitate the distribution of lightning from the ground to your body.
If you are indoors, perform the following steps:
If you are in a position to avoid the house close to the electrical contact. Stay away from sites that watery or wet ground, and stay away from doors and windows.
Turn off and unplug the power cord from the power outlet all electronic goods that you have, such as televisions, radios and computers to reduce the risk of being struck by lightning
Stay away from the phone. If you're forced to call someone, use a mobile phone. If lightning strikes the telephone network, the lightning electric current will pass through each call very potent sting you if you hold the phone.
Stay away from plumbing (bath tub, shower). Lightning has the ability to grab the house or near the house and the electric current can propagate through a metal pipe drains.
Use of rubber slippers (flip-flops) or try to put on dry socks, as a 'separate' body from the ground.
Risky places struck by lightning:
Place a lightning strike risk is hilly terrain, slopes, remote areas, and rural areas. In urban areas, the risk of lightning is relatively small because the population density in the area evenly.
Swimming pool.
Lightning can also propagate through the power cable and telephone line. Phone cord into the phone should also be revoked.
TV antenna can also be a lightning conductor into the house. Construction of buildings made of reinforced concrete is already functioning as a lightning rod.
