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Inventor Benjamin Franklin Achievement and Work in Electricity
Lightning Conductor, Lightning Strikes And Benjamin Franklin
The concept of the lightning conductor was first introduced by Benjamin Franklin who said that if a house has a number of pointed metal rods connected to the ground, the charge built by a storm will be quietly discharged to the ground.
A lightning conductor typically consists of a flat thick strip of metal, shaped like a spike at the top. It is fixed in a manner such that its top is projected out while the lower end is joined to a metal plate which is buried deep inside the Earth.
When lightning strikes the lightning conductor provides a passage for the entire charge to pass to the Earth without damaging the building. The metal used for a good lightning conductor is usually copper.
Proper care should be taken to ensure that the lower end is firmly in contact with the Earth else both the conductor and the building may suffer damage due to lightning.
