If lightning is 5 time hotter than the surface of the sun...

[bret]

write your congressman

 

[CPA]

Originally posted by: dullard

Originally posted by: FeuerFrei
Scorch is correct. It only lasts microseconds.

Doh. No credit for me for mentioning time first.

Oh well, I did the calculations anyways (data from a quick Google search).

Skin data:
Thermal conductivity: k=0.21 W/mK
Thickness: h=~2 mm (varies depending on location on body).

Lightning data:
Temperature: T=~30000 K
Diameter: D=1.5 in
Duration: t=0.0002 sec

Thus the fat (just under the skin) gets this much energy:
t*T*k*(pi*d^2/4)/h = 0.7 Joules

It gets even less than that if you don't assume the outer skin temperature reaches the lightning bolt temperature. But it is a good first approximation.

Compare that to the 0.5 Joules required for one heartbeat. Thus not much energy is conducted into your body at all. It'll be unnoticed in the fat. Of course the outer portion of skin is scorched, but it just doesn't have time to conduct any heat in.

Note: there is probably a lot more resistive heat created by the electricity running through your body. But that wasn't asked about.

ok, my head just exploded.

 

[Jpark]

The way i see it, if a person is directly hit by lightning then it would split them just like it would a tree. everyone who has been "struck" by lightning is being shocked by a near by strike. I'm sure i'm wrong but thats my $.02