Urban Legend or Myth About Rubbers
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Many individuals do believe in the myth or urban legend that rubbers can repel lightning in which it offers them the best protection against lightning strike during a bad thunderstorm. This urban legend actually started when some unknown sources claimed that you are completely safe inside your car during a thunderstorm due to the rubber tires.
The truth is that, it's not actually the rubber tires that makes you safe inside the car but it's the car's metallic body parts. Its metallic body parts acts like a "Faraday Cage" wherein the electrical current spreads and dissipates outside the car and not from the inside.
There was a report that I came across which was all about a boy who got struck directly by a lightning bolt. Fortunately, he survived because of the rubber boots that he was wearing. Is this really possible?
If the rubber boots that the boy was wearing does insulate him from lightning strikes then he won't be struck in the first place. Well, rubber boots does not provide such protection. Thus, the electric discharge had probably dissipated from every ends or part of his body. This can be at the end of his hair, fingers and toes. There were actually some lightning victims that the shoes they were wearing even end up bursting into pieces.
Anyway, many people do survive after being directly hit by a lighting. However, it does cause some serious life-time effect that are related to nerve damages.
At Cincinnati, Ohio, a pregnant women (Kelly Lough) along with her unborn child had survived an unsuspecting lightning strike that hit them. Fortunately, they had survived with the strong belief that it was due to Kelly's rubber-soled shoes that she was wearing at the time of the incident.
The lightning strike incident actually happened when Kelly was holding her umbrella trying to get her husband out from the car due to the heavy rainfall occurring at that period of time. Suddenly, a huge flash of light followed by a big boom had occurred but at the same time, she felt the jolt that went out from her left arm and out from her toes. Miraculously, nothing had happened to her but due to being shocked to just what she had experienced, she freaked out that she went running back into their house.
After the incident, both parents were concerned if their unborn child was okay. Thus, they immediately went into the hospital for a check-up. Gladly, after the doctors had examine Kelly's unborn baby, both of them were perfectly fine and healthy.
Did Kelly's rubber-soled shoes really saved her?
According to some investigators, Kelly wasn't probably directly struck by a lightning. Chances were, she was struck by a branch of lightning and not by the main bolt.
Here is another story of a women who managed to survived a lightning strike due to the belief that her rubber flip flops saved her from the electrical discharge.
During a summer thunderstorm in Chippenham, Wiltshire, a 49 years old nurse (Jennifer Lyons) was struck by a powerful lightning consisting of about 300,000 volts of electricity. The most interesting part of the report was that, the victim had survived.
What actually happened from the incident was that, in the last Saturday afternoon of the summer thunderstorm, a powerful lightning had struck the satellite dish outside Jennifer's house. But at the same instance, she was using her mobile phones inside her bedroom. According to the investigators, the microwave signals being emitted from her phone had attracted the remaining lightning discharge to be diverted directly into her.
Based on Jennifer's statement, the bolt first struck her in the head but it didn't continued its way down to her foot because of the rubber soles (which acted as insulators) that she was wearing at that period of time. Without her rubber slippers, the chances of her survival was very low.
Since the lightning was estimated by the investigators to be about 300,000 volts, Jennifer's house especially her room got damaged. There were a lot of debris scattered around which were pieces of switches and outlets blown off from the walls.
But basing on scientific theory, the rubber slippers worn by Jennifer at the time that she was struck by lightning wasn't what really save her. There were probably other better conductors around her room that pulled the electrical discharge away from her body. This might had happened when the signal from her phone got cut-off. And, it may also be the reason why the discharge didn't continued down to her foot.
Furthermore, you have to know that the "air" itself is already a strong insulator. Considering this fact, an average lightning bolt can push its way miles into the surface of the Earth at an incredible speed. Due to this fact, it is quite impossible for a rubber slipper (or over a hundred feet thick rubber) to stop a lightning bolt. And as already mentioned above, people who have been struck by lightning got their shoes and clothes often got blown or torn into pieces.
An insulator is a type of material where it does not conduct or allow electrical current to pass through it. Rubber is one among this type of material but some people claims that it can repel lighting which is actually a wrong belief.
Assuming that if rubber does protect anyone from being struck by lightning then, why is it that there were already numerous victims of lightning strikes who were wearing their rubber boots and rain coats during a bad thunderstorm?
Overall, don't ever feel protected by simply wearing your raincoat and rubber boots while bravely travelling under a bad thunderstorm thinking that you are completely safe against lightning strikes. The best thing to do is to follow the Safety Rules in which among them is to take shelter or stay inside your house.
The truth is that, it's not actually the rubber tires that makes you safe inside the car but it's the car's metallic body parts. Its metallic body parts acts like a "Faraday Cage" wherein the electrical current spreads and dissipates outside the car and not from the inside.
About A Boy Who Was Save By His Rubber Boots
There was a report that I came across which was all about a boy who got struck directly by a lightning bolt. Fortunately, he survived because of the rubber boots that he was wearing. Is this really possible?
If the rubber boots that the boy was wearing does insulate him from lightning strikes then he won't be struck in the first place. Well, rubber boots does not provide such protection. Thus, the electric discharge had probably dissipated from every ends or part of his body. This can be at the end of his hair, fingers and toes. There were actually some lightning victims that the shoes they were wearing even end up bursting into pieces.
Anyway, many people do survive after being directly hit by a lighting. However, it does cause some serious life-time effect that are related to nerve damages.
Pregnant Women Saved by her Rubber Soled Shoes from Lightning Strike
At Cincinnati, Ohio, a pregnant women (Kelly Lough) along with her unborn child had survived an unsuspecting lightning strike that hit them. Fortunately, they had survived with the strong belief that it was due to Kelly's rubber-soled shoes that she was wearing at the time of the incident.
The lightning strike incident actually happened when Kelly was holding her umbrella trying to get her husband out from the car due to the heavy rainfall occurring at that period of time. Suddenly, a huge flash of light followed by a big boom had occurred but at the same time, she felt the jolt that went out from her left arm and out from her toes. Miraculously, nothing had happened to her but due to being shocked to just what she had experienced, she freaked out that she went running back into their house.
After the incident, both parents were concerned if their unborn child was okay. Thus, they immediately went into the hospital for a check-up. Gladly, after the doctors had examine Kelly's unborn baby, both of them were perfectly fine and healthy.
Did Kelly's rubber-soled shoes really saved her?
According to some investigators, Kelly wasn't probably directly struck by a lightning. Chances were, she was struck by a branch of lightning and not by the main bolt.
A Women Survived Lightning Strike Because of Her Rubber Flip Flops
Here is another story of a women who managed to survived a lightning strike due to the belief that her rubber flip flops saved her from the electrical discharge.
During a summer thunderstorm in Chippenham, Wiltshire, a 49 years old nurse (Jennifer Lyons) was struck by a powerful lightning consisting of about 300,000 volts of electricity. The most interesting part of the report was that, the victim had survived.
What actually happened from the incident was that, in the last Saturday afternoon of the summer thunderstorm, a powerful lightning had struck the satellite dish outside Jennifer's house. But at the same instance, she was using her mobile phones inside her bedroom. According to the investigators, the microwave signals being emitted from her phone had attracted the remaining lightning discharge to be diverted directly into her.
Based on Jennifer's statement, the bolt first struck her in the head but it didn't continued its way down to her foot because of the rubber soles (which acted as insulators) that she was wearing at that period of time. Without her rubber slippers, the chances of her survival was very low.
Since the lightning was estimated by the investigators to be about 300,000 volts, Jennifer's house especially her room got damaged. There were a lot of debris scattered around which were pieces of switches and outlets blown off from the walls.
But basing on scientific theory, the rubber slippers worn by Jennifer at the time that she was struck by lightning wasn't what really save her. There were probably other better conductors around her room that pulled the electrical discharge away from her body. This might had happened when the signal from her phone got cut-off. And, it may also be the reason why the discharge didn't continued down to her foot.
Furthermore, you have to know that the "air" itself is already a strong insulator. Considering this fact, an average lightning bolt can push its way miles into the surface of the Earth at an incredible speed. Due to this fact, it is quite impossible for a rubber slipper (or over a hundred feet thick rubber) to stop a lightning bolt. And as already mentioned above, people who have been struck by lightning got their shoes and clothes often got blown or torn into pieces.
Rubber Is An Insulator
An insulator is a type of material where it does not conduct or allow electrical current to pass through it. Rubber is one among this type of material but some people claims that it can repel lighting which is actually a wrong belief.
Assuming that if rubber does protect anyone from being struck by lightning then, why is it that there were already numerous victims of lightning strikes who were wearing their rubber boots and rain coats during a bad thunderstorm?
Overall, don't ever feel protected by simply wearing your raincoat and rubber boots while bravely travelling under a bad thunderstorm thinking that you are completely safe against lightning strikes. The best thing to do is to follow the Safety Rules in which among them is to take shelter or stay inside your house.
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