Brian Clegg

No, absolutely not. The actual water, literally pure water, H2O, is a bad conductor. It's a good insulator. But the fact is, almost all the water we deal with on a day-to-day basis, the water that comes out of the faucets in the bathroom, is water that has minerals in it. And that's a good thing on the whole. There's nothing wrong with that. It's not a problem.

But these minerals are in the form of what are called ions. So they're basically positively or electrically charged, negatively electrically charged. And that means that they can carry an electrical current. And it's those impurities in the water that actually carry the current. And it is dangerous, of course.

But these minerals are in the form of what are called ions. So they're basically positively or electrically charged, negatively electrically charged. And that means that they can carry an electrical current. And it's those impurities in the water that actually carry the current. And it is dangerous, of course.

But these minerals are in the form of what are called ions. So they're basically positively or electrically charged, negatively electrically charged. And that means that they can carry an electrical current. And it's those impurities in the water that actually carry the current. And it is dangerous, of course.

Yes, you don't want to play around with electrics when you're in contact with water, because on the whole, the water we experience isn't pure.

Yes, you don't want to play around with electrics when you're in contact with water, because on the whole, the water we experience isn't pure.

Yes, you don't want to play around with electrics when you're in contact with water, because on the whole, the water we experience isn't pure.

Yeah, it certainly does. I think one of the reasons for this is, you know, lightning is probably the most dramatic natural occurrence that most people have experienced. You know, there are bigger things out there, more horrific things like earthquakes and so forth. But the fact is most people have experienced lightning. It's pretty frightening stuff if it's fairly close.

Yeah, it certainly does. I think one of the reasons for this is, you know, lightning is probably the most dramatic natural occurrence that most people have experienced. You know, there are bigger things out there, more horrific things like earthquakes and so forth. But the fact is most people have experienced lightning. It's pretty frightening stuff if it's fairly close.

Yeah, it certainly does. I think one of the reasons for this is, you know, lightning is probably the most dramatic natural occurrence that most people have experienced. You know, there are bigger things out there, more horrific things like earthquakes and so forth. But the fact is most people have experienced lightning. It's pretty frightening stuff if it's fairly close.

And if you ever see an actual lightning strike where it hits a tree or something like that, it's very dramatic. And certainly, over the centuries, most people would not have seen lightning strike in the same place twice. And because of that, a kind of folklore built up around it. But the fact is, it does happen, and it happens a lot.

And if you ever see an actual lightning strike where it hits a tree or something like that, it's very dramatic. And certainly, over the centuries, most people would not have seen lightning strike in the same place twice. And because of that, a kind of folklore built up around it. But the fact is, it does happen, and it happens a lot.

And if you ever see an actual lightning strike where it hits a tree or something like that, it's very dramatic. And certainly, over the centuries, most people would not have seen lightning strike in the same place twice. And because of that, a kind of folklore built up around it. But the fact is, it does happen, and it happens a lot.

Any one time around the world, there may be 20,000 lightning storms, thunderstorms happening. And somewhere where there's a nice, big, pointy thing, you will get more than one strike. So the classic is the Empire State Building. It's typically struck I think about 25 times a year and it has been struck as many as 15 times just in a single storm.

Any one time around the world, there may be 20,000 lightning storms, thunderstorms happening. And somewhere where there's a nice, big, pointy thing, you will get more than one strike. So the classic is the Empire State Building. It's typically struck I think about 25 times a year and it has been struck as many as 15 times just in a single storm.

Any one time around the world, there may be 20,000 lightning storms, thunderstorms happening. And somewhere where there's a nice, big, pointy thing, you will get more than one strike. So the classic is the Empire State Building. It's typically struck I think about 25 times a year and it has been struck as many as 15 times just in a single storm.

The fact is lightning really does strike more than once on the same location but it's almost become a way of referring to something. So we don't necessarily literally mean lightning doesn't strike fires, but rather more metaphorically, it's not likely to happen.

The fact is lightning really does strike more than once on the same location but it's almost become a way of referring to something. So we don't necessarily literally mean lightning doesn't strike fires, but rather more metaphorically, it's not likely to happen.

The fact is lightning really does strike more than once on the same location but it's almost become a way of referring to something. So we don't necessarily literally mean lightning doesn't strike fires, but rather more metaphorically, it's not likely to happen.

In fact, there's even one guy, there was a US park ranger called Roy Sullivan, who's been struck by lightning seven times in his career, thankfully survived them all.