week5:topic is The bits of knowledge of thunder.

I think Thunder is dreadful! But if you know this, you become less fearful. I investigated about thunder.

Range from which thunder falls
The width of a thundercloud is usually 10 km or less in radius. Electric discharge takes place in all the ranges of this thundercloud. Therefore, although thunder will fall to somewhere in this range, it cannot be predicted where it falls.

A safe place

Aren't you fearful, when you are outside and thunder begins to sound? There are safe places at such time.

① in the car

Since thunder is electricity, it chooses the substance in which it is easy to flow through electricity. If it falls to the thing made with metal, such as a car, a train, and Buss, it will be through to the metal and will escape on the ground through a tire etc. But you do not touch metal.

②near a high things 
Thunder has the character to fall at a high place. It is important to take refuge near the high things, such as a tree, a building, a telegraph pole. There is no high thing in the neighborhood, and when you are the highest, the possibility of a "direct stroke" becomes high. The range of a safe place is about 45 degrees from tops, such as a building. This is called "scope of protection." If a high thing is approached too much even if it is in scope of protection, the thunder which fell to the high thing may fly and move to man. This is called "side stroke."

 

③Under an electric wire

When there is no building which enters immediately close easily, the bottom of an electric wire is good. It takes refuge into a safer building, moving within the limits of it, since there is 45-degree scope of protection also from a telegraph pole or an electric wire. Don't touch a telegraph pole. And please be 2 m or more away.

However, these places are outsides and it cannot be said that it is safe. 
Blaming in a safe building is the best.

Then, other bits of knowledge...

＊High rubber boots are almost meaningless. Voltage of thunder is very high .So It becomes impossible to insulate by the thing called insulator in everyday life.

 

＊Dangerous also indoors
Lightning current may enter from the antenna and telephone line of television.
There is an example which died on the telephone.

 

＊Water is dangerous.

The electricity of thunder escapes on the ground by thunderbolt. It will become a high voltage, if a thunderbolt is close when the water pipe and the water pipe are made of metal. Therefore, probably, it will be better to be 1 m or more away from a thing connected to these.

 

＊Even if it does not rain, thunder falls.

If electricity accumulates in clouds, thunder will occur. The particles of the clouds which become the base of raindrops have a mechanism of generating electricity. So thunder may come down earlier than rain.
While playing tennis, the accident has actually happened. Although the sound of thunder could be heard in the distance and it was not raining, the racket flung up in order to serve was struck by lightning.

If thunder comes to the neighborhood, let's will be careful!!!