# Tesla coils

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-coils/134819>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 1, 2002, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-coils/134819 "2002-11-01T08:45:52Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![KiPPoS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a9adbd/32.png) [@KiPPoS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KiPPoS)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-coils/134819/1 "2002-11-01T08:45:52Z")

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Could it be possible to build a Red Alert -kind of tesla coil weapon? Is there a way to create an ionized path leading to the target, the kind that occurs before a natural lightning strike?  
[A nice tesla coil page](http://www.voltnet.com/tesla/index.html)

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**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2002, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tesla-coils/134819/2 "2002-11-01T09:10:02Z")

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Well, technically, I imagine it’s possible. But you’d need to generate a “Magic Technology X” that would create the area of ionization to attract the “lightning” bolt.