Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 January 1914 — A Simple Science Lesson. [ARTICLE]

A Simple Science Lesson.

Many boys and girls have wondered, no doubt, why a lightning rod is always pointed, instead of having a blunt end, and also why the point is made of metal that does not easily corrode. - The object of a lightning rod is to empty a cloud of its electricity noiselessly and harmlessly, and It must be pointed because a point offers no resistance to the discharge. The degree of resistance Is in proportion to the surface of the object, and a point has the least possible surface. If the rod had a ball or a knob on the top, the discharge would be violent