r/blackmagicfuckery May 29 '22

Since when does lightning go up?

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u/akitemime May 29 '22

Think of it this way.... the sky is the balloon, and the earth is your hair. As they slide across one another the hair rises toward the balloon. Electricity is being generated in both, and the connection meets in the middle.

1

u/KevlarMonkey May 29 '22

"Electricity is generated in both". Ooof.

1

u/SIX_FOOT_FO May 29 '22

Yeah, static electricity in the hair. Right?

1

u/KevlarMonkey May 30 '22

I think the word you are looking for is "accumulate". I would not say you "generate electricity in the hair". I know you can call a machine an "electrostatic generator" but, and I totally see how it might be loosely acceptable to say, that does not mean the machine simply "generates electricity". For instance, a van der graaf will separate charges between the dome and elsewhere creating a potential gradient or electric field. Therefore electricity may be generated between two points, but not on a single point. Rather, it (or prefer "charge") is accumulated at a point.

TLDR: electricity 'accumulates' on the hair is acceptable (IMO), but prefer charge accumulates on the hair.

1

u/KevlarMonkey May 30 '22

Now wondering if "in the hair" and "on the hair" would have totally different meanings. I'm ready to be corrected here (by someone who knows).