🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <455@sol.ARPA>, ken@rochester.arpa (Ken Yap) writes:
<<stuff about ball on tip vs. pointy tip>>

> No. The purpose of a lightning rod is to preferentially attract
> lightning.  A sharp point does much better at breaking down the
> dielectric (air) than a smooth surface.

Aside from plain or sphere on tip, it is my understanding that the
function of a lightning rod it to allow static to bleed from the
air around a structure into the ground.  By neutralizing the
charge, the likelyhood of a bolt landing there should be reducded.

The wording in the previous article gives the impression that the
lightning rod is designed to attract lightning rather than deter
it.

Bill