Ever heard of cows dying mysteriously during a thunderstorm?
The reason is that there is a potential energy difference between the front and back legs. If the lightning enters the front legs, it will travel through the body in search of ground, which it achieves by exiting the back legs. The cow has become part of the electrical circuit and because of this potential energy difference, it’s zapped – and bang you’re gone. If you’re not adverse to a bit of blood, check out this local story on a cow that survived a lighting strike.
On a lighter note, how many times does lightning strike the earth?
- 1,000 times a second
- 1,000 times a minute
- once a minute
- 30 times an hour
The answer is one.
