Originally Posted by
JoeyBike
Most strikes that actually hit people go from the ground-up. It STARTS with the most attractive conductor on the ground attracted to lets say, metal golf cleats (which no one wears anymore) on a person while they are holding a metal golf club (which almost no one uses anymore) above the head. So metal cleats, a steel bike, steel wheels and spokes, all are attractive to lightning. Even cars get hit every now and them regardless of rubber tires.
If you are the most attractive conductor around when the atmosphere charges up there is a 100% chance that you are going to get zapped. YOU are the cause of it! Think about that next time you decide to "tough it out" through an electrical storm.
Some good elements there, but not precisely - and while it may seem picayune some of the details really do make a difference.
Lightning doesn't just look for the best conductor. In fact, a metal belt buckle, cleats, steel plate on a broken bone, or whatever you're carrying, do not attract lightning. The spark will travel to the closest pont along the path of least resistance, so these objects can become entry or exit points but do not increase your chance of being struck.
I think of it just like a spark gap, on a huge scale. You get the spark when the strength of the electric field is greater than the dielectric in the gap. The electric field ionizes the air, which becomes a conductor. The smaller the gap (higher objects), the weaker the dielectric is. A grounded conductor has the same electrical potential as the ground, so the electricity will preferentially choose that path. After it strikes. If lightning strikes an object near the grounded conductor, it will jump to it. But the conductor does not attract the lightning strike more than another object would.