Thread: do mobile phones attract lightning

i know nose rings and other piercings do not attract, but what about mobile phones?


stuff like that
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6fxkdGgx3s
real or fake?

Fake. A mobile phone would make a negligible difference on the path of lightning strike.

but is it possible that the car realli did the job in this video and the guy was too close to it.

so it wasnt the phone?

Lightning strikes only occur on points where there is an electrical differential of charge of the charge in the clouds and on the ground. The points of greatest difference are on places that are higher above the ground.

Take the Empire state building for instance, it has a lot of electrical storm defenses to ensure that the tower does not set on fire during a storm. I imagine a lot of other buildings apply similar technologies.

I recommend reading Nikola Teslas work if you wish to truly understand this phenomena.

Peace out.

I third Waveman28 and Quantime's answers. However it is possible finding good reception for one's mobile phone could increase the risk of being struck. "I'm in a lightning storm - let me climb the hill to where reception's better."

so it is a question of hight, not material?

Well in general yes it is. But if you had a very small device that had an overall greater positive charge than anything near it; it would jump to that.

You could have the worlds deepest cavef and if it had a very strong electrical field it would get struck even below ground level.

Rub your head with a balloon next time in a storm and see this effect for yourself. 8)