In other words, should Marty traveling through time have caused enough of a disruption that the lightning strike on the clocktower should have happened sooner, later, or not at all?
shareNot necessarily.
shareNot sure about that, but the fact that Doc diverted the lightning into the Delorean (effectively creating a lightning rod), that meant the strike wouldn't have stopped the clock. Which would set up a future where Marty would not be aware of when the lightning would strike.
And a paradox is born.
The clock still could have been stopped. Doc wrapped the cable around the clock's hands.
Just rewatched the scene, and it's a bit wonky. The cable wrapped around the clock's hand shouldn't matter.
Doc installed a lightning rod on top of the clock tower, since whatever's up there wasn't there when Marty first walked through Hill Valley when he came back to 1955. The way lightning rods work is they provide an easier path to the ground for the lightning, instead of the lighting having to travel through the building, destroying anything that isn't capable of handling that much electricity. So the lightning should have taken the easier path, which was the cable leading down to the street. It wouldn't have traveled into the clock, since that's not the easiest path.
But like I said, the actual scene in the movie is weird. When the lightning strikes the lightning rod, the lightning rod explodes (which shouldn't happen - lightning rods are installed to prevent explosions). Then the clock sort of explodes, and then the lightning travels down the cable to the car.
Yeah, it's weird, but it's also a movie, so I guess we can write all of that off to artistic license. I retract my claim.
So the lightning should have taken the easier path, which was the cable leading down to the street. It wouldn't have traveled into the clock, since that's not the easiest path.
The specification for lightning rods is they have to be 1/2 inch in diameter, with a matching size wire, and it can be braided cable to make it more flexible. If the lightning would also go through the building, that would make lightning rods useless.
Doc's wire didn't look like it was that thick, but it had to be thick enough to handle 1.21 gigawatts. Also, the bottom part of a lightning strike goes from the ground upward into the air, making this scene even more wonky.
Again, artistic license.
In other words, should Marty traveling through time have caused enough of a disruption that the lightning strike on the clocktower should have happened sooner, later, or not at all?
Doc is a genius?
share
Doc is, but is Marty? He has to start the DeLorean moving at a precise time, know the acceleration curve of the vehicle to be right at the spot where the hook can grab Doc's cable when the lightning hits. At 88 mph, the DeLorean will be in position (let's say a 5' circle allowing for an arc-over) for three hundreds of a second to connect with the cable.
Just one of those things that engineers like me have to let slide.
Maybe doc is like Rick level smart, and could account for Marty's driving. Yeah, I know I'm reaching,lol.
share
Hey, if Superman can fly, I'm willing to go on faith!!!
Maybe Superman can't fly, he just manipulates the universe to move around him.
shareIf he could do that he would be far more powerful than he is portrayed, and that is very powerful.
shareIt's actually how they explain the way the lead in Irredeemable moves, which is a Superman allegory. He made himself think he was flying because he couldn't comprehend having that ability. Super cool story.
shareInteresting. I haven't read seen those.
shareGraphic Novel by Mark Waid. Very adult, and essentially a spin on if Superman's powers drove him mad and he became evil. If you've ever wanted to dabble in graphic novels, this is all collected in a single HUGE volume. I couldn't recommend it enough.
shareYou saw the movie, didn't you? What happened? Hope that answers any question you might still have about what happened in movies.
share