• Question: Why does lightning strike the closest objects to the sky more often?

    Asked by anon-244290 to Ondrej, Jordan, Eleanor, Ed, Christine, Alice on 17 Mar 2020.
    • Photo: Jordan McElwee

      Jordan McElwee answered on 17 Mar 2020: last edited 17 Mar 2020 10:15 am

      Good question! Lightening is just an electrostatic discharge (the same way you can get a shock from a car door.. just much bigger). As everything in the universe is inherently lazy, the charge wants to get to the ground in the easiest way possible, called the path of least resistance. It’s much easier to transfer a current through something solid rather than through air, so due to the ‘laziness principle’ it’s easier to shorten the distance in the air by striking a taller object.

    • Photo: Eleanor Jones

      Eleanor Jones answered on 18 Mar 2020:

      I like this “laziness principle”! It’s a great way to think about electric current! I will use this in future for explanations!

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