Lightning conductor is a device used to protect a building from the effects of lightning. A lightning conductor is made of a thick strip of metal (usually of copper). The top end of lightning conductor is pointed like a sharp spike (or spikes) and it is fixed above the highest point of the building. From the top of the building, the thick metal strip runs along the outer wall of the building to the ground. The lower end of metal strip is joined to a metal plate and buried deep in the ground near the base of the building.
If lightning strikes, it will hit the top of the lightning conductor rather than the building. The electric energy of lightning passes through the metal strip and gets discharged safely into the ground through the buried metal plate.
A lightning conductor made of a metal works by conducting the electric energy of lightning into the earth. We can see the lightning conductors fixed on many tall buildings, factory chimneys, etc. Lightning conductor was invented by Benjamin Franklin.If a tall building is not protected with a lightning conductor, then the tremendous electric energy produced during lightning would pass through the walls of the building, causing damage to the material of the walls and making the walls unsafe. It can even set the building on fire. A lightning conductor protects a tall building against lightning by providing its electric energy an easy path to go to the ground.