Greatest Misconception 13: Rubber tires protect a car from lightning

[greiteneis]

what you mean that a polymeric insulator like Rubber (cis polyisoprene) does not make a good conductive pathway?...and that tires are such poor conductors of electricity that oftentimes they put an antenna tread on the tire to lower its staggeringly high resistivity especially on high silica tread tires? Next you'll be telling me that the infinitely durable, completely wear resistant tire is also a myth!

Another good one EnigmaHood.

[TheErraticTheory]

I never really thought about it but that would mean that carbon fiber cars and planes wouldn't protect you? However I've hear that they have found a way to make semiconductors out of carbon... and what if you use a metallic paint? Clearly a design topic for future cars and planes.

[EnigmaHood]

@TheErraticTheory Carbon nanotubes can be semiconductors or conductors. So if the carbon fibers are made from nanotubes, then it might be ok.

[Pazma1]

Wait......did that woman on the bike at the start have a penis or are my eyes playing a trick on me?

[EnigmaHood]

@Pazma1 Looks like it right? Lol, no it's just the bike seat sticking out.

[Shepherd1OFH]

Does wearing rubber clothes/boots like firefighter uniforms protect from lightening strikes?

[EnigmaHood]

@Shepherd1OFH No more so than regular clothes. If you want to protect from lightening strikes you would need to wear a suit of metal powered armor that has good, non-conductive insulation between you and the metal exterior.

[MrTURBOJOHN]

@EnigmaHood Don't workers use that when mounting, or fixing a power line?

[EnigmaHood]

@MrTURBOJOHN Not sure. I'll do an inquiry into it.

[MrTURBOJOHN]

@EnigmaHood I saw it somewhere, either it was Discovery channel or something

[EnigmaHood]

@MrTURBOJOHN Ok I did an inquiry and they do not wear rubber boots. They wear normal worker clothes, hard hat, sturdy clothes, gloves, etc. Sometimes (but not always) they wear clothes that have metal wires in them that is similar to chainmail. It's called a faraday suit and works in a similar way to what I described earlier.

[greiteneis]

@MrTURBOJOHN Yeah you do want to wear a good electrical insulator when you are (let's say) handling a live wire...you do not however want to be surrounded by a rubber cage when 100000000000000 amps is arching from the ground around you. It's the reason why Copper wire that feeds electricity to your home is surrounded by thick EPDM based rubber. The current takes the easy route through the metal and doesn't bother trying to arc out. If you chew on an plug you'll see what i mean.

[startrekgamer]

Wow, I never heard that being in a car during a lightning storm was the safest place to be.

[EnigmaHood]

@startrekgamer It's true

[Scrapheap71]

I'm pretty sure that Penn&Teller did an episode of Bullshit! on this topic, if not, then Mythbusters did.

[PsychoMantis08]

thanks Enigma Hood. now i know. AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE G.I. JOE!

[0IvvI0]

0:14 she grow penis

[AsafSchnider]

@0IvvI0 i didnt notice until i read your comment... yuc :S

[IsraelAtheist]

Never heard of someone saying tires save you from a lightning...

[EnigmaHood]

@IsraelAtheist Neither have I. But I have heard people think that rubber tires protect a car from lightning. The idea is they think that rubber tires ground the car (which they don't) and that's why the car is protected.

[SupaKirbTV]

Damn Hood, you wanna be my new professor? lol.

[EnigmaHood]

@SupaKirbTV Lol XD

[seanfleming1]

short, sweet, informative, like it

[jeevesosiris]

Great video my friend (ladyboy at 0:16 though)

[DillaWorld]

@jeevesosiris

A Ladyboy AT 0:16?

I don't know what you're talking abou- OH MY GOD.

[CyborgAtheist]

Greatest Misconceptions how I have missed them. I think these video are some of your best work.

[EnigmaHood]

@CyborgAtheist Thanks!