What is the purpose of a lightning rod?

Question

Basically, what is it supposed to do?

Answer 1

It places a conductor of electricity higher than the highest otherwise point of the building. Lightning will generally go after the highest/tallest object around. The lightning rod is grounded, so if a lightning strike hits it, the voltage potential will be shunted to ground, and cause very little or no damage.

Answer 2

Lightning rods attract the lightning more than surrounding objects like your house, by attracting lightning if it strikes it strikes the rod instead of other objects, thus protecting whatever the lightning rod is around.

They were invented, because buildings used to be made completely wood and during thunderstorms lightning would hit them and the heat of the energy within lightning would set roofs and other parts of the buildings on fire.

Answer 3

Earth ground potential is concentrated on the tip of the lightning rod, which is elevated from the rest of the ground surface. This allows for a preference or higher probability of electrical ground potential to equalize to atmospheric potential at the tip of the lightning rod. So it has a lower probability of using the roof of a building or lower objects to serve as the conduit for current to flow. Basically, it conducts electrical current (electrons) from earth to air.

Answer 4

There are two kinds of lightning rods.
1. Pointy/thin
2. round/dome

The pointy thin kind, is what Ben Franklin invented. Electrons hate (ok, REPEL) each other. Put three of them on a plane, and they spread on a way to have equal space between them. As you put more and more of them on a surface (increase the voltage) their repulsion for each other can build to a point that electrons fly away. If the plane is traded for a thin wire or point, it becomes much easier for electrons to crowd each other off the electron shells. An everyday example is the thin CORONA WIRE used to transfer lots of electrons onto copier and laser printer drums.

But the function of a pointy rod is not to attract lightning, it is to dissapate the imbalance by IONIZING the air arouind it.

The round or mushroom type is designed to allow billions more electrons to spread themselves out over a surface. In this way, much higher voltages can ACCUMULATE. This is why whenever you see big impressive sparks, they are coming off round things. These kind are intended to attract lightning.

The big advantage of the round type is that they tend to skewer fewer roof workers.

The latest type are BRUSH which look like a section of bottle brush, usually of brass or stainless. The advantage is higher dissapation rates.

If you are in a quiet area, and there are lightning flashes far away, and pointy lightning rods nearby, you can hear the crackle of sudden ionization as the Gigawatt distant discharge is balanced locally at lightspeed. This is what people hear when they "Hear Lightning."

Answer 5

when lightning strikes the house the lightning rods take the lightning to the ground so it doesnt strike your house

Answer 6

It directs electricity to a ground, preventing your roof from being struck.

Answer 7

it directs electricity to the ground