Re: Ball lightning - Terry's thoughts....

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Mddeming@xxxxxxx 

Hi Terry,

If that is what at least some of the phenomena reported as ball 
lightening really is, then this sounds like a way to go.
IIRC, the change of state from solid to gas for common substances is 
a volumetric change on the order of 700:1 expansion. This would imply 
fairly high initial radial velocities for the atoms of the stuff. 
What mechanism do you suppose is responsible for the confinement that 
keeps the diameter constant for several seconds as their  kinetic 
energy (0.5*mv^2) goes nuts. I think simple surface tension is orders 
of magnitude too small to be a useful cohesive force. Seems also like 
there would be a significant shock wave associated with the creation 
of the ball by this process, yet if sound is reported at all, it 
seems to be at the end rather than the beginning of the event.

Matt D.

In a message dated 8/6/05 11:18:00 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, 
tesla@xxxxxxxxxx writes:


My idea was that ball lighting is "super heated" "stuff".  Wood,
plastic, dirt,...  It does not matter much....

"Suddenly "superheat" it" to say 20,000 degrees...  Lighting can do that!! ;-))

Unlike say wood at only 400 degrees, a chunk of wood suddenly
(microseconds) "promoted" to 20,000 degrees might turn into a flaming
ball of stuff that might float around for a moment as all the
materials decide what end combustion products and chemical states
they are going to end up as...

One would need a capacitor, of the can crusher variety, that could
supply 500K amp currents and a Tesla coil to initiate the "arc over"
(needs big voltage).

So you put your organic material between the electrodes of the can
crusher style super current capacitors and initiate the power arc to
the material with the Tesla coil...

Just that simple....

Cheers,

        Terry