Why are tall structures such as towers and trees more likely to be struck by lightning?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Their high tips concentrate the local electric field and launch an upward connecting spark.
Their high tips concentrate the local electric field and launch an upward connecting spark. ✓ — Correct! A tall object is not pulled in from far away simply because it is closer. Its high tip concentrates the local electric field and can launch an upward streamer; when that streamer meets the descending leader, the strike channel is completed. This is why towers, trees, and lightning rods are preferential attachment points.
Their height gives the lightning a shorter path to the ground. — Wrong. Height does shorten the physical distance to the cloud a little, so this sounds plausible. But lightning does not pick a target by geometric shortest route; the attachment point is where an upward streamer meets the descending leader. The local field at a tall tip matters more than the extra height.
Their high tips create extra electric charge that starts the strike. — Wrong. Tall objects do not manufacture extra electric charge; the storm's charge is already built up in the cloud and ground. The high tip only helps start an upward streamer that can connect to the descending leader. Confusing “starts a spark” with “creates charge” is the near miss here.
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