Talk:3231: Lightning

I don't know if this is important, but at least right now there is no period. Might change later. Majordesmosnerd (talk) 20:52, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

im not sure how to insert it into the current state of the explanation, but by being a lightning rod nearby but higher up, he is providing protection to ponytail, right? - Vaedez (talk) 21:04, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

That does seem to be the premise, but I doubt that a few inches are sufficient for this, especially if they're several feet apart. But I had the same idea and already put it into the explanation. Barmar (talk) 21:11, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

Ironically, wearing a (properly grounded) anti-static strap would actually _increase_ the odds of being struck by lightning, turning you into a human lightning rod. The whole point of an anti-static strap is to dissipate any intrinsic potential difference between you and the ground, thus making you a (marginally) shorter path for the extreme potential difference between the clouds and the ground state. 50.47.191.231 21:10, 10 April 2026 (UTC) - and of course someone said that in the explanation in the time it took me to write the comment.  :-p. 50.47.191.231 21:12, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

Fortunately, Randall also presents an alternative solution. 216.7.114.74 23:13, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

Timing kinda sucks for this one: Colorado officials trying to identify woman struck by lightning. RandalSchwartz (talk) 22:54, 10 April 2026 (UTC)

Compare xkcd 795. X (talk) 00:59, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

THE EXPLANATION GIVEN ABOVE is WRONG-ish. ", Cueball has once again confused how anti-static devices work ". Actually, earthing does protect against lighting strikes -- the ground potential shapes around above the ground point. Cueball is less likely to be hit by lighting while wearing a correctly earthed grounding strap. Imagine that instead of "Cueball", what you see is the surface of the mountain curving up and around over Cueball. And yes, he is also more likely to be hit while he is the tallest point, lightning rods do get hit. Also, to work correctly, a lighting rod should have a pointed tip -- this makes it less likely to be hit because it works better at lifting the "surrounding ground" up to the point of the lighting rod. If it works perfectly, Cueball won't be the "high point" -- the surrounding air will be at the same potential has him.

> ""possibility, however, that the wire goes down the torso (ideally in an insulated manner, ...."" -- The lightning bolt has just jumped hundreds of feet through air from(/to) the sky. No wire insulation flexible enough to walk with will stop a lightning bolt that strong. --PRR (talk) 06:18, 11 April 2026 (UTC)

This might be a stretch but the art reminds me a lot of the art for the Magic card Lightning Bolt, might be an intentional reference. [1] -magic nerd 38.85.177.78 10:47, 11 April 2026 (UTC)