Electrostatics In Lightning Rods
The "Shocking" Truth
How it was developed, and what it is...
Benjamin Franklin was the man that developed the Lightning Rods. A Lightning Rods is a metal spear or point that is attached to the highest part of a building or house and connected to the ground. A thick Insulated copper wire connecting the lightning rod to a metal plate...
Clouds involvement
Step 1: Air currents in storm clouds cause charge separation, making the top positive and the bottom negative...
Step 2: Negative charges on the bottom of the cloud induce a positive charge on the ground below the cloud by repelling negative charges in the ground...
Step 3: When the bottom of the cloud gains enough electrons, the attraction of the positive charges below causes electrons to move closer to the ground
Step 4: When the cloud gets close enough to the ground, they attract positive particles from the ground and spurt upward, completing the connection.
All of this causes the spark you see called "lightning"
How Lightning Rods work
Lightning Rods Part 1
References
How Stuff Works
Ryerson, Mcgrawl Hill. On Science 9. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.