Monsoon in India

[blr_p]

Lightning and what about it

By counting the seconds between the flash and the thunder and dividing by 5, an estimate of the distance to the strike (in miles) can be made.

In the good old days, when i had a local isp providing me internet via a CAT-5 cable strung across the streets and trees. I would ocassionaly go to the window and start counting, after i saw the flash. If the timing between the thunder & the flashes got shorter, it was time to disconnect, if it stayed the same, then the cloud was passing at some distance and would not affect me.

now i dont care, there are lightning arrestors in the junction boxes and the cable itself is armoured and securely underground. :yahoo:

 

[meaculpa]

That's interesting! Incidentally, is there anyway to estimate distance if there is only lightning and little or no thunder? Yesterday I saw hell of a lot of lightning but it was mostly silent

 

[nosh]

@ coolbuddy: Are you saying that the outer rim of the coaxial cable - the part with the grooves that let it wind onto the model - doesn't conduct electricity? Coz I always thot it did.Reg Scarlett: You don't wanna know! :ashamedviralbug: I love the thunder & lightning too though it freaks my poor dog out badly.@blr_p: I always knew you cud tell how far it was by comparing flash & thunder but never knew the calculation... pretty cool! You just love playing with numbers, don't you?

 

[viralbug]

^ oh those poor little dogs! i feel really sad for them, the get so scared. i knew about that distance thing. you can divide by 5 for miles and then multiply by 1.6 for km ie directly multiply by 0.32 approximately for km.

 

[blr_p]

That's interesting! Incidentally, is there anyway to estimate distance if there is only lightning and little or no thunder? Yesterday I saw hell of a lot of lightning but it was mostly silent

My guess,was that it was happening at a great distance so you could not hear the thunder, light can travel far, i would not worry too much about that.

Or you can also get occasional discharges high up in the clouds, its when you hear the sound that a *major* discharge has taken place. Cos the air heats up intensely during a lightning spike and the only way to dissipate that energy is through sound.

^ oh those poor little dogs! i feel really sad for them, the get so scared.

I think also since their hearing is so sensitive,maybe its 10 times louder for them and they have no way to effectively cup their ears like we do, they still try tho.

I dont feel sorry for them, damn strays have kept me up for many a night and so i welcome the rains with open arms, the dogs can't hang out late at night anymore and i find the ambient sound of rainfall very relaxing to sleep.

 

[viralbug]

^ i wasnt talking about the strays, i was talking about the pets.but still i feel a bit sorry for the strays too.

 

---

[coolbuddy_79]

@ coolbuddy: Are you saying that the outer rim of the coaxial cable - the part with the grooves that let it wind onto the model - doesn't conduct electricity? Coz I always thot it did.




if you touch the "outside insulation" it won't conduct electricty...that's what i was talking about...

 

[amish]

nosh is asking abt the part which fixes cable in to network card(old card with that round thing, i forgot name). i think it wud give a shock if u touch it when lightening strikes. as the copper mesh touches it clearly.

 

[nosh]

that let it wind onto the model
Typo - I mean modem.

http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/5666/nokia739hs0.jpg
Check out the outer rim - I have a feeling it's got to be connected to the mesh... unless the inner pin is the only connection required.

 

[max]

if you touch the "outside insulation" it won't conduct electricty...that's what i was talking about...
buddy lightning contains on an average 40-120kA ( kilo Amperes ) of current and has a voltage of about 3 MILLION volts per meter. The insulation on cat5e cables is umm...not enough to prevent THAT MUCH current from frying you