Lightning strikes - safe in car, but

[BigShotBOB]

Lightning strikes - safe in car, but...

Hii 2 all,

I am new here, and this is my first.

We all know that when a lightning strikes one is very safe inside a car.

Coming to my Q.
Gauss law states, Charges Resides on the outside of a conductor. Fine.

Applying the same to a car, a car acts like a Faraday cage allowing no charges to the inside from outside. Great.


But...
My car is NOT a perfect conductor. There are a lot of "UnConductory" things within my car. Now the lightning should be able to find its way inside.

From a quick search in google... I came across one reason with no explaining to it.
Reason being Wavelength !

here is my source (part 3)
http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:bcvu3PSxIl8J:www.rpi.edu/dept/phys/Dept2/phys2/lectures/Demo02.doc+charges+reside+on+outside+of+a+conductor&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=2&client=firefox-a"

Would be gr8 if someone cud explain why?

 

[star.torturer]

try wikipedia here

 

[astrokreng]

I can provide a response to this content by explaining the concept of a Faraday cage and how it works to protect us from lightning strikes.

Firstly, a Faraday cage is a conducting material that can block external electric fields. This means that when a lightning strike occurs, the electric field from the strike is unable to penetrate the material and reach the inside of the cage. This is why we are safe inside a car during a lightning strike, as the metal frame of the car acts as a Faraday cage.

However, as mentioned in the content, a car is not a perfect conductor. This means that it may have some "unconductive" materials within it, such as rubber or plastic. These materials can disrupt the flow of electric charge and create weak points in the Faraday cage.

This is where the concept of wavelength comes into play. Lightning strikes produce very high frequency electromagnetic waves, with wavelengths ranging from a few hundred meters to a few kilometers. The size of these waves is much larger than the size of the openings in a car, such as windows or doors. This means that the electric field from the lightning strike cannot enter the car because its wavelength is too large to fit through these small openings.

In addition, the metal frame of the car acts as a shield, reflecting the electric field away from the inside of the car. This further reduces the chances of the lightning strike reaching the inside.

So, while a car may not be a perfect conductor, the combination of its metal frame and the concept of wavelength make it a safe place to be during a lightning strike. However, it is important to remember that the safest place to be during a lightning storm is indoors, away from windows and doors, regardless of whether you are in a car or not.

I hope this explanation helps to clarify any confusion about the safety of being in a car during a lightning strike. As scientists, it is important to understand the concepts behind natural phenomena and to always seek out reliable sources for information.