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This week Collected Wisdom is bicycling through the idyllic countryside on its stylish three-speed with raised handlebars, sensible chain guard and wicker basket on the front. But we're getting a bit worried about those dark clouds.
THE QUESTION: "You are out in the country cycling and an electrical storm comes up. What should you do?" asks Don Keith of Waterloo, Ont. He says the best idea he's come up with is to stay on the bike, keep his head down and hope his tires will insulate him in the event of being struck by lightning.
THE ANSWER: Dean Nickerson, reference librarian with Whitby Public Library in Ontario, says that according an article in the U.S. magazine Parks & Recreation, people caught in lightning storms are supposed to assume the "lightning-safe position." This consists of squatting or crouching on the ground with the knees drawn up and feet together, hands off the ground, ideally on "dry insulating material."
The metal bike frame could lead to a direct hit, the most serious of the four types of lightning contact, the article says. It happens when the current flows through the victim, intensified by metal objects such as bicycle frames or metal baseball bats.
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The other three are a flashover (the current flashes over the outside of the body), a side flash (the current travels through the air from another object, such as a tree) and ground current (exactly what it sounds like — the current travels through the ground).
James A. Douglas of Ottawa adds that Mr. Keith is quite wrong in relying on rubber tires to keep him safe.
"Modern tires are made of synthetic rubber that does conduct electricity. Older readers may remember when trucks hauling gasoline and heating oil had grounding chains to eliminate the build up of static electricity. This practice ended in the late 1950s, when it was realized that synthetic rubber tires did the same job."
FURTHER NOTICE
David Brewer of Puslinch, Ont., says our answer last week about why squirrels have such jerky motions was incomplete.
"Squirrels are prime prey for many predators, from hawks to cats," he says. "By standing stock-still at frequent intervals, the squirrel is best able to detect the movements of an approaching enemy.
"Birds do the same. A heron that needs to be able to see movement of its prey, small fish, will use its long, flexible neck to keep its head exactly in one position while 'walking up' to it."
HELP WANTED
"It seems that birds use the birdbath around 6:30 to 7 p.m. more than at any other time of day," writes Tom Foran of Burlington. Ont. Why?
How can the UV index can be high on June 19, a hot sunny day, but low on June 20, a cool but equally sunny day? asks Geoff Rytell of Toronto.
Robert Harper of Richmond Hill, Ont., says people filled millions of sand bags for levees to hold back the Mississippi River during the recent U.S. floods. What happens to all these sand bags once the water recedes?
"Why are some electric motors noisy while others just hum?" asks Ron McKeown of Shefford, Que. Electric lawn mowers and power tools can be noisy while motors in washing machines, which are larger, are quiet.
Send answers (and questions) to wisdom@globeandmail.com. Include your name, location and a daytime phone number.
