DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Did you pay attention in high school science class when the Faraday Cage lecture was taking place? This is one thing that can save your life, if it hasn't already. Â
When I was growing up, my parents told me over and over again that being in a car during a thunderstorm was safe. That's true! They also mentioned that it was the rubber tires that prevented lightning from striking the car. That's false. Â
Turns out, it's the car's metal frame that helps keep us safe during a thunderstorm. Michael Faraday figured this out in 1836. OK, cars weren't invented yet, but the Faraday Cage was born!Â
Faraday built a metal and foil-covered room with wire mesh to demonstrate that an external electrical charge resides only on the outside of a conductor and cannot affect anything inside. The conductor in this case is the metal, much like the metal frame of a car. It works by distributing electrical charges around its surface, preventing electromagnetic waves from passing through and reaching anything inside. This makes it useful for protecting electronic devices from lightning, and keeping you safe inside a car, or even an airplane. Even if you decide to leave the moon roof open during a thunderstorm for some silly reason, this "cage" encloses the entire body of the car, including the moon roof gap. The only way it doesn't work is if you stick any body part outside of the moon roof. Bad idea during a thunderstorm! Â
Additional severe storms are in the forecast for us, so stay safe and stay weather-aware.Â
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