A strange idea, brainchild of a mad doctor

Hello people. Next in my strrrannngeee line of ideas comes an idea involving extreme weather...

People wearing too much metal can be struck by lightning during rain.

Simple, effective, and just damned over the top. Discuss!

Having metal or not doesnt affect on being hit by lightning or not. It is just a matter of heightness, isnt it? Anyway the idea of having extreme weather like heavy raining and lightning might be good.

Metal does decide if you get hit by lightning. That's why if you hold an umbrella with a metal tip during a storm you're more likely to get hit by lightning.

I can just imagine a party of dark knights wearing their tipped helmets and riding metal-coated horses getting mowed down by a lightning storm! Bwa ha ha!

I don't think it is just the metal tip on the umbrella that makes it the lightening hazard.  Without researching it alot here is my explanation.

Electrical current like water wants to find the easiest path.  Air is a good insulator so, it doesn't conduct electricity as well... But, Lightening is such a big charge anyway, it can travel through air.  It still wants to find the easiest route to the ground.  Metal is a good conductor, even though it is a small peice of metal, it is still a easier route for the charge for a small distance, and then other pieces of metal, or even salt water (your body).  The other problem the umbrela has going for it, is it could be the highest thing around.  if it isn't, you don't have to worry too much, unless you are close to the highest thing around.  It is really the combination hight and conductivity that makes a lightening hazard.

So.. knights in a field or on top of a hill would make a good lightening hazard.  Would be sort of humorous, but I imagine people wouldn't have much fought in stormy weather.  the battle can wait another day.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the armour function as a rudimentary Faraday Cage? I'm still not too clear as to how they work, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Not sure.  The electricity might just pass through the armor only, then through the horse to the ground.  I Imagine it would get very hot inside that armor though.

Certain metals act as a good conductor - whilst others do not... And if the person is soaking wet from the rain, the water acts as a good conductor just as well :

Hmm... Only one way to test it. Any volunteers?

Paradukes said:

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't the armour function as a rudimentary Faraday Cage? I'm still not too clear as to how they work, someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Click to expand...

It very well might, but your skin is likely too close to the exterior of the armour to go without feeling ANY repurcussions of a charge that large.

I just had a mental image of an electrical worker working on a transformer at the top of a telephone pole... in gothic plate.

The knight would have a layer of cloth/leather in between him and the armour though wouldn't he? It might serve to offer enough protection against the electricity coursing through his gothic plate.

accually its just a matter of getting hit


if your hit by lightning you are useally dead

a man got hit by lightning in mexico(migrant worker)

his clothes all spilt and he was killed on impact

There was a case where a golfer wound up for a swing and the lightning struck his golf club... served as a lightning rod, I s'pose.

Getting it by lightning is VERY rare, however. And the people fighting would probably be freaked out, severe morale detraction.

Lord moose said:

accually its just a matter of getting hit


if your hit by lightning you are useally dead

a man got hit by lightning in mexico(migrant worker)

his clothes all spilt and he was killed on impact

Click to expand...

It's not always lethal. One man was struck by lightning seven times. When he died, it wasn't due to lightning.

igyigy said:

I don't think it is just the metal tip on the umbrella that makes it the lightening hazard.  Without researching it alot here is my explanation.

Electrical current like water wants to find the easiest path.  Air is a good insulator so, it doesn't conduct electricity as well... But, Lightening is such a big charge anyway, it can travel through air.  It still wants to find the easiest route to the ground.  Metal is a good conductor, even though it is a small peice of metal, it is still a easier route for the charge for a small distance, and then other pieces of metal, or even salt water (your body).  The other problem the umbrela has going for it, is it could be the highest thing around.  if it isn't, you don't have to worry too much, unless you are close to the highest thing around.  It is really the combination hight and conductivity that makes a lightening hazard.

So.. knights in a field or on top of a hill would make a good lightening hazard.  Would be sort of humorous, but I imagine people wouldn't have much fought in stormy weather.  the battle can wait another day.

Click to expand...

Not quite correct.

For example, why do tree's get hit. their insulators (wood), but still get hit. so, basically, the metal would attrackt it a bit, but the higher points would be worse (eg, if you were standing next to a tree with full amour, the tree would get hit).

Also, it can depend on how your connected to the ground. basically, lightning will only strike if it has a path to the ground, so if your in the air, or insilate by rubber, over a distance that the charge won't arc, your safe. it also, IIRC, can depend on how much contact you have with the ground, eg if your keeling, (not lying down), you have less chance of conducting electricity.

Another interesting note, the lightning doesn't pass though air becase 'it's pwoerful', it passes through, because it ionises the air, therefore makeing it a conducter (there's a experimental electic crowd control gun beign developed on this principal.....)

Well, lightening passing through are becasue it is powerful is what ionises the air.  There is so much attraction between the two charges it will ionize the aire, kindof like static electricity when you see a spark.  Ever seen an electrograph generator?

While wood might not be very conductive, it is more conductive than air.  And since the trees are usually pretty high, this helps too.  Now, I don't know for sure, but a tree also has sap running through it which mostlikely has a higher conductivity then the wood and aire, so this is yet another path.

Things that are in air can still get struck by lightening, but it does not ground through them.  For example airplanes.  Nothing happens to the plane, but the lightening just passes through it.  I asked a pilot one time and he researched and found an article in one of his magazines about it.  Lightening will still strike cars as well, but again, nothing happens to them, because of the tires, the lightening probably just jumps to the ground, possibly not even going through any part of the car but just around the surface.

I always see warnings about, if you feel your hair stand up, you better get to the lowest point as soon as you can and kneel (like you said).  Read one the other day that even says, remove all metal that you may be wearing, haha, and stay away from trees.

Yeah, my wife had the hair standing experience, and jumped into a van. The lightning hit right where she had been.

Scary.  But good call on her part.

Mmm. Derailiness.

Still helmet is the first stop for the lightning,and I can't even imagine one's brain can withstand all this shock.