What is more likely: death from a lightning strike or from a fallen asteroid? Detailed answer

Free technical library

BIG ENCYCLOPEDIA FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS
Free library / Directory / Big encyclopedia for children and adults

What is more likely: death from a lightning strike or from a fallen asteroid? Detailed answer

Big encyclopedia for children and adults

Directory / Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education

Comments on the article

Did you know?

What is more likely: death from a lightning strike or from a fallen asteroid?

No matter how absurd this statement may seem, the probability of death from an asteroid is almost twice as high.

Scientists estimate that a large asteroid (or, as they are now called, a "near-Earth object") hits Earth once every million years. Statistically, today this event is long overdue.

A "near-Earth object" with a diameter of more than 2 km is considered dangerous. The force of its impact on the Earth is equivalent to one million megatons of TNT. If that happens, the total death toll will exceed one billion, so your personal risk of dying from an asteroid impact this year is about one in six million.

The average annual risk of being killed by a direct lightning strike in the United Kingdom is one in ten million, about the same as being bitten by a viper.

Lightning is a discharge of electricity up to 30 million volts. It reaches a temperature of 30 °C, which is five times hotter than the surface of the Sun. A flash of lightning moves at a speed exceeding 000 million km/h.

One lightning strike carries an electric current of 100 amperes - enough to light up a city of 200 people for a minute. Every day, lightning strikes the Earth more than 17 million times, that is, about 200 strokes per second.

The most frequent lightning strikes are observed in coastal areas - on average, about two strikes per square kilometer per year. Apparently, they do not cause much damage: electricity quickly dissipates over the surface of the sea, and some have even personally observed whales singing happily during a severe thunderstorm.

On the other hand, lightning strikes people ten times more often than it should be according to probability theory.

Men are hit six times more often than women.

Three to six Britons and XNUMX Americans are killed by lightning each year, many because they carried "portable lightning rods": golf clubs, carbon fiber rods or wired bras.

If a thunderstorm caught you in an open area, know that the safest position is to get on all fours and lift your ass up away from the trees.

Author: John Lloyd, John Mitchinson

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

What magazine achieved popularity by encouraging its use after reading on the toilet?

The American magazine Old Farmer's Almanac, which appeared in the 18th century, gained great popularity, among other things, because it was equipped with a hole near the edge. For him, the magazine was easily hung in the toilet and could be used "for its intended purpose." And the first industrial-scale toilet paper appeared in the United States only in 1857.

Test your knowledge! Did you know...

▪ What is mica?

▪ In which country are two halves of a torn bill equal in value to a whole bill?

▪ What was Hitler doing when he saw an animal cruelty scene in a film?

See other articles Section Big encyclopedia. Questions for quiz and self-education.

Read and write useful comments on this article.

<< Back

Latest news of science and technology, new electronics:

Machine for thinning flowers in gardens 02.05.2024

In modern agriculture, technological progress is developing aimed at increasing the efficiency of plant care processes. The innovative Florix flower thinning machine was presented in Italy, designed to optimize the harvesting stage. This tool is equipped with mobile arms, allowing it to be easily adapted to the needs of the garden. The operator can adjust the speed of the thin wires by controlling them from the tractor cab using a joystick. This approach significantly increases the efficiency of the flower thinning process, providing the possibility of individual adjustment to the specific conditions of the garden, as well as the variety and type of fruit grown in it. After testing the Florix machine for two years on various types of fruit, the results were very encouraging. Farmers such as Filiberto Montanari, who has used a Florix machine for several years, have reported a significant reduction in the time and labor required to thin flowers. ... >>

Advanced Infrared Microscope 02.05.2024

Microscopes play an important role in scientific research, allowing scientists to delve into structures and processes invisible to the eye. However, various microscopy methods have their limitations, and among them was the limitation of resolution when using the infrared range. But the latest achievements of Japanese researchers from the University of Tokyo open up new prospects for studying the microworld. Scientists from the University of Tokyo have unveiled a new microscope that will revolutionize the capabilities of infrared microscopy. This advanced instrument allows you to see the internal structures of living bacteria with amazing clarity on the nanometer scale. Typically, mid-infrared microscopes are limited by low resolution, but the latest development from Japanese researchers overcomes these limitations. According to scientists, the developed microscope allows creating images with a resolution of up to 120 nanometers, which is 30 times higher than the resolution of traditional microscopes. ... >>

Air trap for insects 01.05.2024

Agriculture is one of the key sectors of the economy, and pest control is an integral part of this process. A team of scientists from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Potato Research Institute (ICAR-CPRI), Shimla, has come up with an innovative solution to this problem - a wind-powered insect air trap. This device addresses the shortcomings of traditional pest control methods by providing real-time insect population data. The trap is powered entirely by wind energy, making it an environmentally friendly solution that requires no power. Its unique design allows monitoring of both harmful and beneficial insects, providing a complete overview of the population in any agricultural area. “By assessing target pests at the right time, we can take necessary measures to control both pests and diseases,” says Kapil ... >>

Random news from the Archive

Smartphone Samsung Galaxy W with 7" screen 1280x720 03.06.2014

Samsung Electronics has introduced the largest smartphone in its line - Samsung Galaxy W. The device is equipped with a display with a diagonal of 7 inches.

Despite the fact that the size of the Galaxy W display allows you to call the device a tablet, the vendor positions it as a telephone device - with the ability to make calls and use SMS. The design of the device is designed so that the user can hold it and make calls with one hand.

The display resolution of the Galaxy W is 1280 x 720 pixels (16:9 aspect ratio). The device has a 4 GHz quad-core processor, 1,2 GB RAM, 1,5 GB of internal memory (expandable), 16 MP camera, 8 mAh battery, LTE support and will appear on the market with OC Android 3200 Jelly Beans.

Prior to this, the largest Samsung smartphone was considered the Galaxy Mega 6.3, which has a 6,3-inch screen (Galaxy Mega is a separate line of Samsung "tablet phones"). The Galaxy W also broke the Sony Xperia Z Ultra's record of 6,44 inches.

The Samsung Galaxy W will be available in Korea for 499,4 won, which is about $487. The novelty will be available in black, white and red.

Other interesting news:

▪ Reading by sound

▪ Nvidia Tegra X1 Mobile Superchip

▪ Pentax AF201FG all-weather flash

▪ IDrive One external drive with 802.11ac Wi-Fi adapter

▪ WQHD screens with In-cell Touch technology

News feed of science and technology, new electronics

Interesting materials of the Free Technical Library:

▪ section of the site Big encyclopedia for children and adults. Selection of articles

▪ article Return to native Penates. Popular expression

▪ article From whom were the Americans forced to buy weapons donated by them four times more expensive than their cost? Detailed answer

▪ article Armenian Pasternak. Legends, cultivation, methods of application

▪ article Subwoofer for a car. Part 4. Encyclopedia of radio electronics and electrical engineering

▪ article Cleaning the washbasin with potassium permanganate and acid. Chemical experience

Leave your comment on this article:

All languages of this page

Home page | Library | Articles | Website map | Site Reviews