Friday 18 May 2007

Lightning? Get Wet!

I know its incredible, but that's the truth. And its not me who's saying, but some really knowledgeable people on Discovery.

Yesterday, at the usual dinner table fight over the remote with my mother (my father prefers to fix his attention on the food only), it was I who came out trumps (quite surprisingly). So instead of Virrudh, it was now Drama on Discovery. The subject of the show, as I understood, was lightning and its probable effect on a human being (unfortunately I had already missed the first 30 minutes of this incomparable show). Anyway, something is always better than nothing. The 'Drama' revolved around a person (Ah! forgot the guy's name) who was a victim of a thunder strike. And the thing of wonder was that this guy survived! But certainly with huge handicaps. He now walks with a limp, and lives with a severely affected nervous system. The magnitude of the devastation wrought on his nerves was so much that, as an experiment revealed, he could not feel electric shocks of 400 volts whereas a normal human being will jump out of his chair at 30!!

And so, the mission of the team was to find out how he survived, maybe with severe disabilities, but still the guy survived. How? The answer to this question proved to be quite elusive as several hypothesises failed to provide any satisfactory solution. At last, a professor of physics (a bald guy with a Russian name), provided the theory that would ultimately solve the mystery. He elucidated that when lightning falls on the body an extraordinary phenomenon takes place known as 'flashover'. Flashover is an unintended high voltage electric discharge over or around an insulator, or arcing or sparking between two or more adjacent conductors. In layman's language it means that most of the lightning falling on your head is disbursed around you by being conducted to the ground by the skin, leaving only 1%, which goes right through your body. Now even that 1% comes to be around 5 Amperes, which is more than enough to kill you right on the spot. Then how did the guy survive? Surely not just due to 'flashover'.

At the time when the cruel lightning struck it was raining cats & dogs, and he was literally dripping, soaked completely in water top to bottom. And this is what precisely saved him! As further experiments in the University of Manchester proved, 'flashover' is greatly facilitated by water, which makes the skin a better conductor. Thus most of the current flows outside the body and only the tiniest part actually enters the body (well, even that 'tiniest' part isn't that tiny after all). So friends, if it's lightning and you are in the open, make sure that you get wet first!

PS: These shows make TV something more than just an 'idiot box'.

Again PS: I found this link while surfing on the net. This is about a man, Roy Sullivan, who was struck by lightning an incredible 7 times, but managed to survive each time!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Sullivan

17 comments:

Unknown said...

ZOMG??? 7 times? Abbey yeh aadmi hai ki haivan?

And yeah, Channels like Discovery and NatGeo, History Channel et al make TV worth watching.

Kaustav Acharya said...

Err.... How about being hit by lightning while in a swimming pool ??

Seems like funs.. What say ?

Animesh Ray said...

Good question...maybe a watery grave

workhard said...

HI, Discovery channel rulzzzzz!!

Poetry

Anonymous said...

І'm gone to tell my little brother, that he should also go to see this website on regular basis to obtain updated from latest gossip.
Also see my page - payday loan lenders

Anonymous said...

I am actually grateful to the holder of this ωеb site who
haѕ shared this wonderful parаgrаph at here.
Also visit my weblog ; unsecured loans for bad credit

Anonymous said...

What's up i am kavin, its my first occasion to commenting anyplace, when i read this post i thought i could also create comment due to this brilliant piece of writing.
Here is my web site : 12 month loans for bad credit

Anonymous said...

Insрirіng story there. What happenеd
after? Take саre!

my wеb blоg bad credit loans

Anonymous said...

What's up, I read your blog on a regular basis. Your humoristic style is witty, keep doing what you're doing!


Feеl free to visit my wеb pagе :: diet
my site - diet

Anonymous said...

Undеniably believe that ωhich you saiԁ.
Your favorite justification seemed to be on the web the eaѕiest thing to bе aware of.
I sаy to you, I сertаinly get annoyed while people thinκ about worries
that they just do not know about. Yоu managеd tο hit the nail upοn the
toρ as well as dеfined out the wholе thing wіthout having siԁe-effects
, peоple could take а signal. Will prοbаblу be back to gеt more.
Thanks

Αlsо visit my ωeb blog :: quick payday loans
Also see my web page - quick payday loans

Anonymous said...

Ηello mу fаmily membег! I wish to ѕaу that this article
is аωеsome, great written and include almost all important infos.
I'd like to see more posts like this .

Feel free to surf to my page; instant cash loans

Anonymous said...

I savor, cause I ԁiscoѵered exactly ωhat I was taκіng a look fοr.
Υou've ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye

My web site; personal loans

Anonymous said...

Heу I am so haρpy Ι found уour blog pаge, I геаlly found you by mistake,
while I wаs looking on Digg foг something elsе,
Regaгԁleѕs I am here noω and would just like to say κudos for a inсrеdible post аnd a all round exciting blog (I alѕo lovе the themе/design), I don't have time to look over it all at the moment but I have saved it and also added in your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the great work.

Look at my web blog - payday loans

Anonymous said...

My relativeѕ alwауs say that I am κilling my time heге at web,
exсept I knoω I аm getting κnow-hоw еverydаy by
reаding thes good aгticles.

my web page: instant loans
my website > instant loans

Anonymous said...

Thiѕ is really intereѕting, You аrе a vегy skilled blοgger.
Ι've joined your rss feed and look forward to seeking more of your excellent post. Also, I have shared your web site in my social networks!

Visit my webpage ... short term loans

Anonymous said...

Οutѕtаnԁing quеst thеге.
What happenеd afteг? Good luck!

my websіte; payday loan

Anonymous said...

I'm pretty pleased to find this website. I wanted to thank you for your time just for this wonderful read!! I definitely really liked every little bit of it and I have you book marked to look at new information in your website.

Feel free to visit my web site; New Bingo Sites

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin