My question is the HOW of electrocution: my understanding is that while standing in a grounded tub of water, if a live extension cord is dropped into the tub--I die. What is the physiology? (I can understand sterilization), why death. In fact, why anything? Is the body CAPACITANCE so large that significant current flows? In this case I would not expect that the tub needs to be grounded. Is DC safer? I've read the story of a guy killed when he attached a 9 volt battery between his hands--INTERNALLY, not just surface. But is DC safer in the 'standing in water' case? I'm aware that most forums prohibit health advise (other than: See a doctor), so this is a science question. On Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 9:28 PM, John Gardner wrote: > ...will his genes be passed on to another generation? > > They got this far - Probably more involved than one idiot... > > On 6/6/17, Sean Breheny wrote: > > The worst electrical shock I've gotten was from plugging in an 120VAC > cord > > which had a single strand of the stranded line cord sticking out where > the > > plug met the cord. This was outdoors and I was standing barefoot on > > concrete. > > > > A close second was the time I was doing ESD testing at 15kV, was > > accidentally touching the unit under test AND was holding the ground cl= ip > > against a bolt in the floor to ground it (and happened at that instant = to > > have unknowingly lost contact with the bolt). So, it was a direct > > across-the-chest hand to hand 15kV shock, thank God it was from just a > 1nF > > capacitance or I'd be dead. Definitely woke me up! > > > > I also once had a funny experience where two of us were debugging a mot= or > > drive which used 20kHz, 50V PWM. We were feeling around the PCBA on the > > tops of components to feel how warm things were getting. My coworker > asked > > why a particular IC was getting so very hot when it wasn't supposed to = be > > a major heat dissipating component. I also went to feel that part and > > initially it didn't feel warm but I moved my finger a bit and it sudden= ly > > felt very hot. After more investigating I discovered that it wasn't hot > but > > it was right next to an exposed terminal which was connected to the PWM= .. > If > > your finger happened to touch that adjacent terminal, it produced a > > sensation unlike any other AC or DC electric shock I've ever felt. It > felt > > just like touching a hot object. I guess the high frequency caused a > > different kind of nerve stimulation. > > > > > > > > On Tue, Jun 6, 2017 at 6:18 PM, James Cameron wrote: > > > >> Either way, he was electrocuted by his choice to use his phone, and > >> that matches an anticipated narrative, feeds the fear, and is > >> therefore good click bait. We should expect no less from story > >> writers and editors because that's how they are funded. > >> > >> I'm reminded from my own experiments that submerging is not required; > >> condensation is enough to make a path. > >> > >> -- > >> James Cameron > >> http://quozl.netrek.org/ > >> -- > >> http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > >> View/change your membership options at > >> http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > >> > > -- > > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > > View/change your membership options at > > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > > > -- > http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive > View/change your membership options at > http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist > --=20 http://www.piclist.com/techref/piclist PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .