Artificial Lightning/Lightning Weapons

Majin Gojira · Post by **Majin Gojira** » 2003-02-20 03:43pm

How strong would/could they be? Would artificial bolts be stronger than Naturally produced lightning?

EmperorMing · Post by **EmperorMing** » 2003-02-20 03:46pm

My understanding is that you would want a laser to shoot first and ionize the air particles/molecules first. Makes an easier path for the bolt to follow...

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-02-20 04:15pm

Another lightning weapon thread... already? The last one was posted like two weeks ago.

Majin Gojira · Post by **Majin Gojira** » 2003-02-20 04:38pm

Yeah, but it didn't ask for the weapon yeild...well, as far as I know...

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-02-20 04:42pm

Folks what is this too much Red Alert?

mmm, yeah, nice tee shirt now bend over....perfect

Mark S · Post by **Mark S** » 2003-02-20 05:20pm

The Yosemite Bear wrote:Folks what is this too much Red Alert?

mmm, yeah, nice tee shirt now bend over....perfect

Wha?

DPDarkPrimus · Post by **DPDarkPrimus** » 2003-02-20 07:05pm

Majin Gojira wrote:Would artificial bolts be stronger than Naturally produced lightning?

Not unless you a LOT of generators.

The Great Unbearded One · Post by **The Great Unbearded One** » 2003-02-20 07:07pm

Do you know how many volts a naturally produced lightning bolt produces?

Darth Yoshi · Post by **Darth Yoshi** » 2003-02-20 11:59pm

>7000V for every cm traversed. 7000 is how much you need for moderate humidity, I think, and moisture raises the volts needed.

Drewcifer · Post by **Drewcifer** » 2003-02-21 12:00am

The Great Unbearded One wrote:Do you know how many volts a naturally produced lightning bolt produces?

from: http://230nsc1.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/e ... ning2.html

...a typical lightning bolt bridges a potential difference (voltage) of several hundred million volts.

...a typical lightning bolt may transfer 10^20 electrons in a fraction of a second, developing a peak current of up to 10 kiloamperes.

...the German scientist Pockels discovered that basalt rock in the vicinity of lightning strikes was magnetized and deduced currents on the order of 10,000 amps in 1897. [....] Most measurements have been in the range 5,000 to 20,000 amps but a famous strike just before the Apollo 15 launch in 1971 was measured at 100,000 amperes by magnetic links attached to the umbilical tower. Currents over 200,000 amps have been reported.

and a few last tidbits:

* About 95 people die from lightning yearly in the U.S.
* A single thunderstorm can release 125 million gallons of water (that's the volume of 16 Washington Monuments).
* One storm can discharge enough energy to supply the entire U.S. with electricity for 20 minutes
* A large Midwestern cumulonimbus can tower 12-15 miles (Mount Everest is 5.5 miles high.)
* There are approximately 2,000 thunderstorms at any given moment worldwide.

Lightning has killed 6,000 persons in the United States in the past 34 years. In 1990, 74 persons were killed and 252 more were injured. Florida is the most dangerous state with 14 killed and 27 injured in 1990. In 1987 an Atlas-Centaur rocket was struck by lightning on launch and had to be destroyed.

Slartibartfast · Post by **Slartibartfast** » 2003-02-21 01:21am

A friend from work knew a guy who was driving his car, and lightning struck his car, and electrified the whole thing, but apparently the guy was unhurt.

Days after that, the guy started experienced loss of mental functions and about a week or month later (don't remember) he ended up a vegetal (sp?) a.k.a. brain dead in a hospital bed.

Post by **The Yosemite Bear** » 2003-02-21 03:10am

Mark S wrote:
Wha?

Umm, in relation to Tanya Adams character from Red Alert & RA2

if you have playied the game you will get the joke.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

Artificial Lightning/Lightning Weapons

Artificial Lightning/Lightning Weapons

Re: Artificial Lightning/Lightning Weapons