That would be true to an extent if the car was made completely of metal and constructed in a way to allow electrons to move freely along the outside of the vehicle without penetrating the vehicle.
Most cars would fail this test miserably.
Faraday cages can do little if anything to protect from a direct lightning strike.
The only protection a car can provide from a direct lightning strike is the tires. They insulate the vehicle from the ground and do not allow the current to pass through the vehicle frame.
There is also a small degree of physical protection from the heat itself.
But make no mistake.
If lightning were to hit your car directly and you are inside the car, the chance of death is very high. The keyword is "direct strike".
I would rather be in a car during a lightning storm than being outside in it. But given the choice and knowing the magnitude of a lightning strike, I would prefer to be inside my house away from any windows.
If the car was a good Faraday cage, you would not be able to use your cell phone in it.
Okay I will bite.
Terrorists hijacked the plane. They took control of the plane, decompressed the cabin and killed all the passengers, while they were relatively safe in the pilot bay.
Or they took the plane to 45,000' and allowed all to go to sleep (except them) forever.
They then took the plane to a terrorist country, hid it in a airplane hanger and at this very moment are retrofitting it with many pounds of explosives for a big show.
I am surprised someone hasn't blamed the President yet.
Here's a few theories about the loss of contact with air traffic controllers:
1. It lost contact with the air traffic controllers because the equipment at the air controllers facility was old and faulty.
2. The air traffic controllers were busy posting selfies on Facebook
3. The controllers were drunk or stoned.
But the plane is still up there looking for some sober controllers who can land them safely---- in Roswell NM.
If there was a fire, and they lost the electronics, the plane would have crashed right then. This plane cannot fly without power. A loss of the electrical/electronics would be the disaster in itself.
The plane supposedly flew on for several hours. If this is the case, there had to be a functional electronic system. Speculating on my part GB.
Like you, I have to go with the obvious. They are all dead and the plane resides on the bottom of the ocean. Hoping to find these poor souls is not going to happen (I wish I believed in miracles).
That theory came from a certified pilot. He said it is standard operating procedure to throw all the breakers when there is a fire so I must assume that the plane can fly that way and would not just crash. However the other part of his theory was that the pilots were quickly overcome by the fire/smoke/heat whatever, so that it flew for hours is kind of a wrench in that idea.
When we lived in Texas, we lived in a large trailer. One night there was a bad storm right overhead. A lightening strike hit the trailer. The next morning we went out to look. The whole side of the trailer starting at the top where the electrical was connected to the pole and all the way to the tires, was burnt and cut by the strike. Part of the tires were melted into the ground. I am still not sure what a Faraday Cage is, but I will assume we were in one that night. And I am forever grateful for those tires on that trailer.
Glad you guys were okay.
Since the destruction started at the top of the electrical service, it is entirely possible you did not receive a direct strike. Since you are alive to tell us this, I must assume it was not a direct strike.
The lightning most likely hit the tallest structure in your immediate area. Could have been the pole that serves your dwelling.
This would be evident by the destruction of the electrical service entering the dwelling.
I am afraid that if the lightning had hit the trailer directly, the trailer most like would be destroyed.
Most strikes reported are not actually direct strikes. They are reports from people close by that feel and see the effect of the strike.
Those that live through this, in large part not directly hit by lightning.
Here ya go Addie. A description of a Faraday cage. Faraday cage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
You are confusing what happens to a car when it's struck by lightning and the definition of "Faraday cage." In fact when a car is struck by lightning it becomes charged and like charge repels like charge. When the charge builds up high enough it doesn't matter if there are window holes. Your car becomes increasingly distasteful to the lightning and it finds other leakage paths to dissipate in.
I used to work in a Faraday cage when I was a 2-way radio technician. It's basically a copper wire box. Any radio transmissions hit the wire screen ad build up a field that repels the radio waves rather than allowing them through.
Your cellphone works in a car because of the holes where the windows are. They don't generate enough energy to charge up the car and repel the electromagnetic waves.
A lightning bolt is basically a huge electric flow, enough to charge up your car. A cellphone emits weak electromagnetic waves, not strong enough to do anything to prevent escaping from your car.
I'm a professional electronic engineer, or was until I got put out to pasture.
We didn't lose our electrical service. It didn't even interrupt television service. No one did except the house down on the corner that burnt down. So how do you explain the large burn through the metal all the way the whole length of the trailer down to the tires?
You are right Cave, it matters not. The new version sounds a little more professional.
It appears to me that it is unlikely we will ever know what happened. Each day, each week makes it more unlikely this will be solved.
My point was no matter a Faraday cage (I did not bring that into this conversation) or a bird cage.
A direct hit by lightning is in most every instance a death sentence. The key word is "direct strike"
A Faraday cage cannot do anything to protect in the event of a direct hit by lightning.
////You are confusing what happens to a car when it's struck by lightning and the definition of "Faraday cage." In fact when a car is struck by lightning it becomes charged and like charge repels like charge. When the charge builds up high enough it doesn't matter if there are window holes. Your car becomes increasingly distasteful to the lightning and it finds other leakage paths to dissipate in.
I used to work in a Faraday cage when I was a 2-way radio technician. It's basically a copper wire box. Any radio transmissions hit the wire screen ad build up a field that repels the radio waves rather than allowing them through.
Your cellphone works in a car because of the holes where the windows are. They don't generate enough energy to charge up the car and repel the electromagnetic waves.
A lightning bolt is basically a huge electric flow, enough to charge up your car. A cellphone emits weak electromagnetic waves, not strong enough to do anything to prevent escaping from your car.
I'm a professional electronic engineer, or was until I got put out to pasture.
That's interesting. I remember being told in school science, I think, that an aeroplane is an example of Faraday's cage which protects it in a lightning strike. Just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything that you are told at school.My point was no matter a Faraday cage (I did not bring that into this conversation) or a bird cage.
A direct hit by lightning is in most every instance a death sentence. The key word is "direct strike".
A Faraday cage cannot do anything to protect in the event of a direct hit by lightning.
That's interesting. I remember being told in school science, I think, that an aeroplane is an example of Faraday's cage which protects it in a lightning strike. Just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything that you are told at school.
You are twice wrong. There are many examples of people being struck by lightning and living, although often with complications. A direct hit is not a good thing but it is not a death sentence.
A good Faraday cage would completely protect you although it would have to be constructed of a good enough conductor to not melt under the energy.
I recommend you do some reading to understand why this works.
That's interesting. I remember being told in school science, I think, that an airplane is an example of Faraday's cage which protects it in a lightning strike. Just goes to show you shouldn't believe everything that you are told at school.