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Thread: For the scientifically minded...
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08-16-2011, 04:46 PM #3
Or you could do what i did and accidentally bridge 120V AC between your thumb and forefinger... then not be able to use your hand for the rest of the day.
AC - the current alternates polarity, so if you get shocked, you have positive and negative current flow very rapidly.
DC - the current is always the same polarity, so if you get shocked, its positive current flow only.
How bad a shock is depends - among other things - on where it is. my example of thumb to forefinger was not a bad shock. 120V DC would not be a bad shock in that circuit either. if that had been from thumb to thumb, I'd probably be pushing daisies.
You can survive a massive shock if the amperage is low enough. example: Tasers are something like 40,000V DC at a very low amperage(measured in miliamps) - they are rarely lethal. Conversely, if the amperage is high, a lesser shock can kill you. a car battery can kill you, but its only 12-15V DC. Car batteries produce anywhere from 300 -1000 Amps.
Confused yet, or should I mention wattage?