This means you can calculate a lightning “shadow” around an object of height h on a flat surface.
这样你就可以计算一个在平面上高度为h的物体的闪电“阴影”。
Now, that doesn 8217;t mean you 8217;re safe within the shadow-often, it means the opposite. After the current hits the tall object, it flows out into the ground. If you 8217;re touching the ground nearby, it can travel through your body. Of the 28 people killed by lightning in the US in 2012, 13 were standing under or near trees.
然而位于这个阴影中并不意味着你就安全了——事实常常相反。当电流流到那个高高的物体上之后，它会接着四散流到地面上。如果你碰到了附近的地面，电流就有可能从你的身体中流过。2012年在美国因雷击致死的28人中，有13个人是站在树下面或附近。
With all this in mind, let 8217;s look at possible lightning paths for the scenarios in the following questions.
有了这些基本知识，在接下来的几个问题中，我们来看看在给定情况下闪电的可能路径。
Q. How dangerous is it, really, to be in a pool during a thunderstorm?
Q．在电闪雷鸣的时候待在泳池里到底有多危险？
A. PRETTY DANGEROUS. WATER IS conductive, but that 8217;s not the biggest problem-the biggest problem is that if you 8217;re swimming, your head is poking up from a large flat surface. But lightning striking the water near you would still be bad. The 20,000 amps spread outward-mostly over the surface-but how much of a jolt it will give you at what distance is hard to calculate.
A．相当危险。水是可以导电的。但最大的问题不在于此——最大的问题在于如果你正在游泳，那么你的头会露在一大块平整表面的外面。即使闪电击中的是你周围的水，那也是非常危险的。2万安培的电流会向四周扩散——绝大部分沿着水面——但你在不同距离下各会受到多大程度的电击是很难计算的。
My guess is that you 8217;d be in significant danger anywhere within a minimum of a dozen meters-and farther in fresh water, because the current will be happier to take a shortcut through you.
我估计至少在几十米的范围内你会处于极度危险之中，在淡水中这个距离会更大，因为电流更喜欢从你电阻小的身体中流过。
What would happen if you were taking a shower when you were struck by lightning? Or standing under a waterfall? You 8217;re not in danger from the spray-it 8217;s just a bunch of droplets of water in the air. It 8217;s the tub under your feet, and the puddle of water in contact with the plumbing, that 8217;s the real threat.
如果你在洗澡或站在瀑布底下的时候被闪电击中呢？水雾并不会威胁到你，它们只不过是空气中一堆分离的水滴。真正对你产生威胁的是你脚底下的浴缸，以及和水管接触的那摊水。
Q. What would happen if you were in a boat or a plane that got hit by lightning? Or a submarine?
Q．如果我在船上或飞机上被雷击了会怎么样？在潜艇上呢？
A. A BOAT WITHOUT A cabin is about as safe as a golf course. A boat with a closed cabin and a lightning protection system is about as safe as a car. A submarine is about as safe as a submarine safe (a submarine safe is not to be confused with a safe in a submarine-a safe in a submarine is substantially safer than a submarine safe).
A．没有船舱的船安全性和平坦的高尔夫球场差不多。配备封闭船舱和闪电保护系统的船只和汽车差不多安全，潜艇的安全性和水下的保险箱差不多。（不要把水下的保险箱和潜艇里的保险箱搞混了：潜艇里的保险箱可比水下的保险箱保险多了。）