Why Lightning Can't Destroy Modern Skyscrapers

[00:00:00]Right now, you're standing on a ticking time bomb. The skyscraper where you work gets struck by lightning an average of 100 times a year.

[00:00:09]A single touch of this energy [music] is enough to melt steel, blast apart concrete, and wipe out all life inside in a [music] fraction of a second.

[00:00:18]In theory, you're in the most dangerous place on the planet whenever a thunderstorm [music] hits.

[00:00:24]The truth is no explosions occur and you don't even know you just survived a lightning strike.

[00:00:32]Welcome to Simple Why and here's how skyscrapers protect themselves.

[00:00:37]Turn back the clock to 1752 and you'll immediately understand the marvel of this architecture.

[00:00:44]Back then, lightning was an uncontrollable terrifying threat.

[00:00:49]As it rips [music] through the sky, it superheats the surrounding air to 27,000° C or roughly 50,000° F.

[00:00:59]That is five [music] times hotter than the surface of the sun. Taking a direct hit from that much power should melt concrete and fry [music] every circuit in the block.

[00:01:09]The Empire State Building in New York City takes a direct hit from these bolts about 25 times every [music] single year.

[00:01:17]Benjamin Franklin watched this destruction [music] and invented the lightning rod to tame the sky. It worked flawlessly.

[00:01:26]But his brilliant invention accidentally birthed a massive misconception.

[00:01:32]We grew up believing that a lightning rod acts like a magical force field. We assume it is [music] a defensive shield that fights off the storm, blocking the electricity from coming anywhere near the roof.

[00:01:45]But what if I told you the exact opposite is true?

[00:01:49]A lightning rod doesn't repel a strike.

[00:01:52]The truth is, architects want the building to get struck. That metal spire is designed [music] to be the ultimate bait. Electricity is lazy and always looks for the easiest [music] way down.

[00:02:03]The rod creates a path of least resistance, offering the lightning a highly conductive VIP highway. Instead of letting the energy blast through concrete, it lures the bolt into a massive hidden network of thick copper cables running down the building [music] and safely dispersing into the earth.

[00:02:25]When you watch a storm rage over a city skyline, you are actually watching a masterpiece [music] of invisible traffic control, where nature's fury quietly follows a human-made map.

[00:02:37]While skyscrapers rely on massive cable systems to safely route electricity underground, there are creatures that perch right on millions of volts of electricity every day without a hitch, precisely because they avoid the ground.

[00:02:54]Look up at any power line running along a highway, and you will almost certainly see a flock of birds resting peacefully on the cables.

[00:03:04]They preen their [music] feathers, sing, and nap on top of a highly active power grid capable of lighting up an entire city.

[00:03:13]So, how are they surviving this?

[00:03:18]Do their feet have thick, scaly skin that acts like the heavy rubber gloves worn by human electricians?

[00:03:26]Are these high-tension wires wrapped in some ultra-thick, advanced insulating plastic to protect local wildlife?

[00:03:37]Or do these animals possess [music] a mysterious sixth sense, perfectly picking out the lines where the power happens to be turned off?

[00:03:47]The truth is far more dangerous. If you climb up to those massive transmission [music] towers, you will find that the vast majority of high voltage outdoor lines are completely bare metal.

[00:04:00]There is zero insulation protecting those birds from the raw power flowing right beneath their claws.

[00:04:08]And we are talking about mind-boggling amounts of energy. A standard wall outlet in your home pushes about 110 to 220 volts, which is easily enough to be lethal.

[00:04:22]Yet, >> [music] >> these birds are casually chilling on exposed cables carrying anywhere from 155,000 [music] to 765,000 volts.

[00:04:34]They are sitting completely unprotected [music] on a literal death trap. But, here is where the laws of physics step in to save their lives.

[00:04:43]To solve this puzzle, we have to look back to the year 1827. [music] A brilliant German physicist named Georg Ohm published a groundbreaking theory that fundamentally changed how we [music] understand electricity.

[00:04:59]He established what we now call Ohm's law, proving that electrical current relies entirely on a concept known as voltage differential.

[00:05:09]For electricity to flow through an object, there must be a difference in voltage between the point where the electricity enters and the point where it exits.

[00:05:19]When a bird lands with both feet on the exact same wire, its entire body is sitting at the exact [music] same electrical potential.

[00:05:28]Because the bird is completely avoiding the ground, there is no differential.

[00:05:32]>> [music] >> It simply does not offer the electricity a new place to go.

[00:05:37]Think of that high voltage current as a massive, roaring river flowing forward at breakneck speed.

[00:05:45]The solid copper or aluminum cable is a wide, deep, incredibly smooth riverbed, perfectly designed for maximum water flow.

[00:05:57]Now, imagine the bird's body as a narrow, rocky, mud-filled ditch that briefly curves off from the main river, only to reconnect to it just an inch away.

[00:06:10]If you are that massive, rushing wall of water, you are not going to squeeze yourself into that terrible, choked-up >> [music] >> little ditch.

[00:06:24]You will take the easy route and stay in the wide, fast lane. [music] To the electricity, the bird is just an inefficient dead end.

[00:06:35]The current has absolutely no physical reason to travel through the bird, so it just ignores it entirely.

[00:06:45]Next time you stand watching a thunderstorm through the window of a skyscraper, remember, [music] the peace you're experiencing isn't just a stroke of luck.

[00:06:56]Every ripple-free cup of coffee, every flicker-free [music] light amidst a storm, is proof of a pinnacle of human ingenuity.

[00:07:08]We don't choose to confront [music] or surrender to the destructive power of nature.

[00:07:14]We choose to understand, adapt to, and tame it with science.

[00:07:21]Those colossal structures of [music] steel and glass not only reach for the clouds, but also affirm humanity's [music] ability to protect life against all adversity.

[00:07:33]If you enjoy the journey of unraveling the hidden stories [music] behind the simple things around us, don't forget to like and subscribe [music] to the channel.

[00:07:43]Thank you for joining Simple Why.

[00:07:45]Goodbye and see you again in the next questions.