[Posh 08]

Originally Posted by CarGuys

Wow and I though teaching Ohms law to young Automotive Technicians was hard. That had my head spinning!

I think it all boils down to electrical higher potentional moving to a lower. What is the path of least resisitance? You can make electricity hit anything if you have enough push behind it.

When I set up my demonstration of voltage. It always takes the best conductor vs the one with the most resistiance. And in a spark plug it likes a clean flat edge vs a point.

Which is why a center electrode starts out round and flat and after 100k miles is rounded off all the way around. It keeps jumping to the newer clean edge.

Copper is a better conductor. It must be properly grounded. I would rather have lighting hit a rod on the roof than my metal AC unit, or birdcage or me!

Price of cooper is probably driving up the cost of installation. Has anyone on TOTV been quoted a price they wish to share?

We lost a very good citizen. A young Business man from Skaneateles on a Florida Golf course. Sunny day on vacation no clouds no rain raised his club to swing and bam. That was that. Dave Pirro from Pirro Bros Ford in Skaneateles NY.

A bolt from the blue. Sad and scary.

[2 Oldcrabs]

Effective ground rods need to be meggared to less than 25 ohms. I do not think any one does this in TV. The 500,000 volt tower line that goes thru TV has 2 "static" wires at the top of the towers to take the lighting shots. There are ground wires going down the towers to several ground rods at the base. These rods may be over a 100' deep to get the ohms down. Lighting does seem to hit the highest point. Working for a utility for 32 years, I have never known lighting to hit the middle of a pole or tower, it is always the top. If you do not have effective ground rods you may be wasting your money.

[angiefox10]

I think I was told to go fly a kite!

I'm not a teacher and I won't go through a long explanation... Just to say, that a picture is worth a thousands words.

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nCm2UCj6eDU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://youtu.be/nCm2UCj6eDU

[westom]

Originally Posted by CarGuys

I think it all boils down to electrical higher potentional moving to a lower. What is the path of least resisitance? ... When I set up my demonstration of voltage. It always takes the best conductor vs the one with the most resistiance.

Resistance is irrelevant here. In automobiles, why is a high resistance wire preferred over a pure copper spark plug wire? Parameters, rarely taught to technicians, are more relevant. Same concepts must be understood by an engineer.

Above recommendations, based in what Ben Franklin first discovered in 1752, was for any layman. Simplified down to an executive summary. For example, impedance (not resistance) makes a lightning rod more effective. Both are measured in ohms. A most conductive copper conductor can be a worst connection if, for example, that wire has sharp wires bends, splices, or is inside metallic conduit.

Layman need not know about impedance. But should know a lightning rod is defined by the quality of earth ground. Anyone informed by observation would not learn what is most important – earthing.

Protection is defined by where energy dissipates and the quality of that connection. When protection fails, they may claim nothing can protect from lightning rather than discover the reason for that human created damage. How did the FL home stop lightning from striking an exterior bathroom walls? They fixed the human created defect. Upgraded ground rods. Protection to a structure or protection to household appliances is mostly about geology. And quality of that earth ground connection.

Wire resistance is mostly irrelevant. Low wire impedance is critical.

No layman need learn about impedance. But any homeowner can quickly separate the ill informed recommendation from one based in technology. As was taught in elementary school science, protection always means connecting lightning harmlessly to earth ground.

A best protection system addresses what defines protection - the earth ground. What is not observed is most important. Any recommendation based in observation is best ignored. Local geology and other environmental factors define the need.

[CarGuys]

Resistance is used to limit the current deliverd to the Spark Plug.

Old School wires burned up your plugs in 25k miles because they had not resistance.

You also create to much EMF which drives electronics nuts!

You seem like a pretty intellegent man. I just wish I was smart enough to understand your posts.

Merry Christmas brother.

By the way all I just got hit with my first attack

12/25/21-- 12/25/31 am
SID 24089 Web Attack. Malicious Toolkit Website 9 detected

Admin is this guy the bad boy!??

[graciegirl]

Originally Posted by westom

Most of what is written was omtroduced taught in elementary school science. But something significantly new is rarely understood until at least a third reread. At least that is what I have always found. Anything understood in a first reading was already known or not worth reading.

What does lightning seek? Earth ground. That elementary school science concept underlies every paragraph.

When structure damage was unacceptable, then lightning rods (as Ben Franklin demonstrated in 1752) were earthed. Nobody but a homeowner can answer 'hey or nay'. Especially since critical details (ie fear, depth of pockets) are only known to or must be learned by a homeowner. Most 'fun' (just like a casino) is to do nothing.

Another way to learn this stuff. Go fly a kite. It worked for Franklin.

o

I taught too. If you see confusion, drop back a bit.

Merry Christmas!

[CarGuys]

Called monitor and adjust right Gracie. Not hit rewind and push play.

2OldCrabs

May I please sit in the front of your class and you be my mentor!

Why Vocational Education Works - Called school to work! Ahhhhhhhh Ha so that's how it works. Thanks for explaining that in laymans terms.

I am assigned to teach all the districts elementary science teachers in real world Ohms law. They are loosing the new generation of kids to time tested bla bla bla bla boring. We use real world "Cars" to reinforce the books!

In Toyota factory training they call it. Need to know vs Nice to know. Now I gotta go find my kite Angie

[angiefox10]

Is like a train wreck that I keep coming back to!

I KNOW there must be a wealth of information here, but for the life of me, I can't get it! I used to think I was pretty smart.....

Back to my kite!

[graciegirl]

Making it understandable is the goal and joy of teaching.

There are a lot of smart people who are teachers who can't teach.

And thankfully, a lot who can. And they are changing the world.

[CarGuys]

It's the teacher in you Gracie, Thats why I Love your humor.

You had the teacher in me figured out 20 seconds after we met.

And I should have listened better in Math class.

I got the 2+2 or Divided or Times or Substracted but those word questions.

A Car is traveling from California to NY
A Car is traveling from NY to California
What time will your Grandmother arrive at the Dr's a week from today?

Ah I don't know let me call her! FAIL!