improper, as the velocity of electricity in a metal conductor is very high, and if a
pipe could provide a comparable water flow, it would indeed be enough to divert a
flood [13].
An important question to ask in the context of lightning conductors was whether
humans should try to protect themselves from the lightning at all. If the lightning
was a means of God to punish the Earthlings, then precautions against the effects of
lightning was an act against the will of God. Bergman did not agree with this view
Fig. 6.4 Illustration for Bergman’s lecture on lightning conductors
6.3 Bergman Becomes a Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences
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