Let's say a lightning storm hits. You are getting to safety but trip against a metal fence. The lightning strikes the fence while you are against it. Is it possible to somehow create or manipulate electricity if you lived?

smpdit

Shock burns can lead to kidney failure, infection, muscle and tissue damage, or amputation. 70 percent of lightning survivors experience residual effects, most commonly affecting the brain (neuropsychiatric, vision and hearing.) Electricity manipulation is not mentioned. http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/essd18jun99_1.htm May 16 09, 1:33 AM

Baloo55th

I reckon the fence would earth most of the strike anyway, metal having a very much lower resistance (in fence quantities) than even a soaking wet human. (The fence will be wet too, of course.) As to creating or manipulating electricity, yes. You'll be able to get sparks from a jumper by pulling it over your clean hair, make bits of paper 'sticky' using amber or cats and so on. Just as you could before. You won't be able to make the electric meter run backwards, zap wasps, or light bulbs, or even a single LED. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Static_electricity Static can be quite powerful. A copier I used to use would stick 50 sheets of A3 together so tightly you couldn't separate them until you'd dissipated the charge somehow, which took some time. I had to rig up a 1 meg resistor to earth myself gently, until I could get the anti-static thingy sorted out. May 16 09, 11:23 AM

TheRundown08

OK. But what if like how you get shocked if you rub your feet against a rug and touch something metal? Say if you touched the metal, you controlled the static and shocked someone else. Could that happen? May 16 09, 1:56 PM

Baloo55th

You can pass the charge on to someone else. If they're earthed or at a lower charge than you've got up to, there will be a transfer. If they're insulated from earth, the charge will equalise between you. If they're touching earth, you will discharge through them. Ever seen pictures of workers in electronics labs or factories? They're chained to the bench. Not slavery. Earthing. You can carry a few thousand volts static and not notice it - but a delicate little widget will notice if you discharge through it. A carpet will give quite a few volts, but not enough amps to do anyone any damage. DO NOT try Ben Franklin's alleged kite in the storm trick. If he actually did it, he was ***** lucky. Lightning is high voltage and high amperage, and he should have been frizzled. Stick to experimenting with carpets and cats. Carpets are safe. Cats may not want to co-operate, but shouldn't be lethal. (Same reference.) May 16 09, 3:30 PM