Induction loop for catching lightning?
I have slightly diff. approch..and my assumptions may find little weird..but we have find out why did it happen..
1. generally to break 1cm air gap 10000V would be sufficient. there is a capacitance (assuming it is isolated from ground!)from chair to ground which is proportinal to the area of chair/distance of chair from ground. There is a capacitance of the cloud to ground inversely proportional to distance from ground. If cloud is at very very low altitude and the static voltage on the cloud is more than 1000000 volts then it can produce electrostatic voltage in the chair. moment cloud charge gets discharged the trapped charge on the chair may be sufficiently high to break air dielectric.
2. these being electrostaitc phenomenon I doubt whether an electromagnetic solution may not help being current dependent.
vtinole