So I almost died yesterday...

[return to the red]

^^ I concure (sp)

When I was 4 I got quite the household shock from plugging in an appliance. Not knowing any better I had my wee little finger between the prongs and plugged the sucker in...who says you can't change your fingerprints?

[Neeper]

If it makes you feel better, I almost died in Mexico 13 days ago. I was close to a hospital and there was a dr. on scene to help me. I was thinking... don't fall asleep!! 35 stitches later, I am ok. Lots of blood on the street. I got a nice look at my own flesh, fat and veins. That was an experience.

[rockstar]

Originally Posted by Neeper

If it makes you feel better, I almost died in Mexico 13 days ago. I was close to a hospital and there was a dr. on scene to help me. I was thinking... don't fall asleep!! 35 stitches later, I am ok. Lots of blood on the street. I got a nice look at my own flesh, fat and veins. That was an experience.

Care to elaborate? That sounds like a good story...

Same to you, Frank the Tank.

[Jake]

I looked it up on the internet and it says the resistance of the human body is 1500 ohms, but on contact the resistance is nearly zero.

I'm not in engineering or anything, but I don't think that resistance is high enough to vaporize someone unless the current is huge (25 A is huge, but I'm talking several thousand amps huge). The energy dissipated wouldn't be nearly high enough.

[Looger]

thought i'd shed a little light, i work in industrial automation - though i'm not a certified electrician i quite often do similar things, and design / build systems that they hook up.

it doesn't take a lot of current to kill someone under optimum conditions, but it usually takes more than a voltage of 120V. 460V or 575V can easily kill and must be respected at all times.

voltage = current x resistance

your resistance changes depending on existing conditions, if you're soaking wet and holding a ground wire, well...

that's why electricians carry locks on mill sites and in processing plants, they turn off the power and only they can turn it back on. you entrust your life with yourself, and no one else.

as an aside, look at old pictures of electrical engineers like 100 years ago, tesla etc. - they ofen have one hand in a pocket and one hand free, a habit to prevent current from going through their hearts, in one arm and out the other so to speak.

[HalifaxDrunk]

FYI - Dion plugs into 25 Amps between periods to recharge.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by Jake

I looked it up on the internet and it says the resistance of the human body is 1500 ohms, but on contact the resistance is nearly zero.

I'm not in engineering or anything, but I don't think that resistance is high enough to vaporize someone unless the current is huge (25 A is huge, but I'm talking several thousand amps huge). The energy dissipated wouldn't be nearly high enough.

I think you guys are having too much fun

I know it was 25 Amps, because that was that maximum current we were applying to a pretty big DC motor to drive a synchronous machine.

I've never electriculted myself, but I just know that above 200 mA, aperently, it paralyzes you.

[shoestring]

Texas or bush ,however you want to view it, would love a vaporizer,but sometimes they can't even kill people.
Or it takes minutes on the chair.

But everybody is affected differently by electricity.

Anybody want to define electricity ?

[shoestring]

Hey,.... Phanuthier I am really glad you survived.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by Flames_Gimp

I don't think you can say near death doesn't phase you until you stop breathing and need CPR to barely "bring you back".

Or unless you lose an entire week because you are so out of it from pneumonia.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by rockstar

Care to elaborate? That sounds like a good story...

Same to you, Frank the Tank.

Well, where to begin....it would have been September of '91 or '92. I was at University in Windsor, Ontario. We were having our light Friday workout before our game (football) Saturday. So we are on the practise field behind the St. Denis Centre ( http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/pac/New...1?OpenDocument ) and its overcast and warm, but not raining, no thunderclouds or anything. We are near the goalposts running through our plays. I played offensive guard, so I have my hand down on the ground in a three-point stance and we are about to snap the ball and KA-BAM!! We were all hit by a bolt of lightning. I felt it go up through my fingertips and through my whole body and out my feet. We all collapsed to the ground, then when we realized what happened, we ran like crazy *******s into the St. Denis Centre. I was stone-deaf for about an hour, had really sore teeth and had 1st degree burns on my fingertips and the soles of my feet. Pretty lucky really.

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Reaper

Or unless you lose an entire week because you are so out of it from pneumonia.

ya hey man, "It's only been 2 weeks"

[V]

Anybody want to define electricity ?

Good question. dictionary.com says "The physical phenomena arising from the behavior of electrons and protons that is caused by the attraction of particles with opposite charges and the repulsion of particles with the same charge."

Really, electricity is one of those words that is always used incorrectly. Most people are talking about the movement of electrons, which should be called current, not electricity.

As for the 25A killing you, and the example that was brought up in the same post, I don't know if it would have killed you. It might have, but chances are the current had a much easier path to follow than through your body, so you probably would've been fine, just a little hurt. Depends on the voltage.

I've heard that the voltage is what really scars you, amperage is what kills you. I got knocked off a ladder working on some lighting. Someone flipped the breaker while I was working, and as most lighting in highrises goes, the voltage was 347V. Fun fact, had the lighting been run at 120V there would have been more current running through the lines, but I would not have been hurt nearly as badly.

[Phanuthier]

Wow, someone up there really doesn't like me. Went to the firing range yesterday... something was wrong with the gun, as the shells were firing straight back... yeah... being burning hot metal flying back with a decent amount of momentum at your forhead, I now have 2 pretty big scars on my forhead. You'd think someone was shooting me since its right between the eyes.

I did get a chance to fire the desert eagle though, that was wicked.
Pretty funny that two guys that were watching me shoot were like "that kid... look at that kid... I wonder how old that kid is... wow, that kid can shoot... what's he shooting?... (bring out the 45)... HOLY CRAP WHAT'S THAT KID SHOOTING?!..."

[kermitology]

Speaking of dying...you should see the traffic in Xi'an. It's nuts man! Traffic lights are merely a suggestion, as are lanes. You just have to hope that your driver doesn't make a wrong move and you end up with a head full of rebar. Crazy Chinese!!

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by kermitology

Speaking of dying...you should see the traffic in Xi'an. It's nuts man! Traffic lights are merely a suggestion, as are lanes. You just have to hope that your driver doesn't make a wrong move and you end up with a head full of rebar. Crazy Chinese!!

What?

Have you seen 2 lanes... 3 cars driving yet?

[NuclearFart]

When were you in last in Xian? Interestingly, I will be there (and the rest of China) next weekend for a month of backpacking. I'm super stoked about it, but my arms are killing me from all the vaccinations!
________
Ebony Cams

[Dion]

Glad you survived Phanuthier.

[Neeper]

Originally Posted by Dion

Glad you survived Phanuthier.

Nice sig... did you make that yourself?

[Flames_Gimp]

Originally Posted by Neeper

Nice sig... did you make that yourself?

lol busted