Posted on 12/05/2005 9:01:26 PM PST by Jo Nuvark
I work with electricity all the time. The most I got shocked with was 80,000 volts with almost no current. Threw me but I lived.The one that hurt the most was 90 volts D.C. with all the current you wanted. D.C. is worse cause it makes your muscle lock up hard, real hard. Hard enough to pop ligaments and tear tendons and stuff like that. Hurts alot and you can't let go. P.S. the stuff right out of the wall has a good bite to it too.
Another way to visualize the difference between voltage and current is to equate it to the difference between potential and kinetic energy. Imagine a waterfall 300 feet high. Huge potential. Huge difference in height. Huge voltage. Now there is 3 gallons of water an hour going over it. Small current won't hurt you even with huge voltage. Then you have 300,000 gallons per minute going over a 20 ft waterfall. Huge current with lower voltage. Bang, you dead.
A person only does that once in a life time.
RE: Using a phone for defib...
How we got from genitals to the heart I don't know..., but you are the first to bring up direct and alternating current. Good to consider. I'm guessing you are a physician or technician.
I just found this topic while searching for info. Normal operating voltage on an idle telephone line is 48 volts DC. When ringing the voltage spikes to roughly 90VAC at 23 milliAmps. Nothing worse than a static shock.
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