Electric Shock

**Xei** · 01-20-2008 01:59 AM

Um basically, I just took the power cable out of my amp and the socket thing came with it. So I tried to take the power cable out of the socket thing and I got an electric shock. I'm not sure what I touched but it definitely went through my little finger. I was standing up at the time and... well the sensation itself is hard to describe but it felt like a sort of magnetic field going up and down my arm and through my body slightly; I think it was AC? Also my whole body went rigid so I stopped touching the thing luckily. The wire goes straight into the mains socket, through one of those multi-socket hub things.

In case you wondered, I'm not dead; but I need to know if it could have done any long lasting damage to me.

Thanks...

**Carôusoul** · 01-20-2008 02:17 AM

Not at such a small magnitude.

**Xox** · 01-20-2008 02:18 AM

That happened to me when I was younger. It was certainly an interesting feeling.

**Mes Tarrant** · 01-20-2008 02:19 AM

You're fine.

People get hit by lightning and live to tell the tale.

**Stupified** · 01-20-2008 02:24 AM

NAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!

That was only around 120 volts and it only went through your hand.

I was working on a central A/C unit (240V) and thouched a capacitor as I was leaning against the machine with the other hand.

My whole body contracted. I think I saw a flash. When I realized what happened, I wondered why my mouth hurt. I had bitten both of my cheeks!

I do wonder if I was normal before that day or if I have always been this way.

**Xei** · 01-20-2008 05:54 PM

Okies, good.

I've heard people can get killed by 230V, so how come the current I was exposed to didn't do any damage?

**suttsman** · 01-20-2008 06:01 PM

Gah, done that before. I forgot to shut the power off in my room (completely, not just the switch) when I was putting the socket cover back on the outlet. (my room was just painted) So I touched the outlet, and ZAP! It hurt.

AND then I was stupid enough to do it again!

**Goldney** · 01-20-2008 06:02 PM

Current is the thing that kills you. You can withstand pretty high voltages as long as the current isn't that strong. I think the lethal dose of current is about 7+ amperes. You don't want to get caught on the wrong end of that.

**Xei** · 01-20-2008 06:25 PM

Well a higher resistance will give a lower current so does that mean that because only a small area of my skin was exposed, or possibly that I was stood on a rug (not a conductor), I had a high resistance and therefore only a small current passed? If somebody stood on a copper floor and grabbed onto the mains wire would they die?

And wow, 7 amps really doesn't seem that much. I think you get those kind of currents in school practicals, although is that because the resistance of the circuit is so low, compared to a human?

Just curious.

**Moonbeam** · 01-20-2008 06:26 PM

Be careful. If you're not burned and you feel fine, you're OK, no internal damage or anything.

**LucidFlanders** · 01-21-2008 07:08 AM

Originally Posted by Xei

Um basically, I just took the power cable out of my amp and the socket thing came with it. So I tried to take the power cable out of the socket thing and I got an electric shock. I'm not sure what I touched but it definitely went through my little finger. I was standing up at the time and... well the sensation itself is hard to describe but it felt like a sort of magnetic field going up and down my arm and through my body slightly; I think it was AC? Also my whole body went rigid so I stopped touching the thing luckily. The wire goes straight into the mains socket, through one of those multi-socket hub things.

In case you wondered, I'm not dead; but I need to know if it could have done any long lasting damage to me.

Thanks...

How do we know? ever see the movie called "ghosts"? all it takes is some concentration and you can move physical objects, hell i'm sure you can type too. You're so dead.

**Michael** · 01-21-2008 07:24 AM

Originally Posted by Xei

Okies, good.

I've heard people can get killed by 230V, so how come the current I was exposed to didn't do any damage?

That's people with heart problems. A rollercoaster could kill them too...

**Xaqaria** · 01-21-2008 07:43 AM

As long as there is no visable tissue damage, and no lasting feeling of numbness you should be fine with a shock to the hand/arm. I have been struck with a direct shock of somewhere above 30,000 volts (from a computer monitor) in the hand with no persisting effects, aside from a complete numbness of my arm for about 10 minutes.

The biggest danger with electrical shock is when the path of current goes through the heart or brain. Just be careful not to expose your left arm to shock, especially while standing on your right leg for some strange reason.

**Xaqaria** · 01-21-2008 07:50 AM

Originally Posted by Xei

Well a higher resistance will give a lower current so does that mean that because only a small area of my skin was exposed, or possibly that I was stood on a rug (not a conductor), I had a high resistance and therefore only a small current passed? If somebody stood on a copper floor and grabbed onto the mains wire would they die?

And wow, 7 amps really doesn't seem that much. I think you get those kind of currents in school practicals, although is that because the resistance of the circuit is so low, compared to a human?

Just curious.

A higher resistance is more likely to result in damage to the tissue. The heat that is generated in your body by electrical shock can be compared to a friction burn. The more resistance, the hotter it is going to get. This is why the filaments in light bulbs have (relatively) high resistance levels (high ohms); so that they can generate enough heat to glow.

Originally Posted by Goldney

Current is the thing that kills you. You can withstand pretty high voltages as long as the current isn't that strong. I think the lethal dose of current is about 7+ amperes. You don't want to get caught on the wrong end of that.

Actually it really depends on the path of current through the body. A shock that goes through the heart will kill a normal person at 60 amps AC or around 400 amps DC with a voltage around 200v

**Stupified** · 01-22-2008 03:19 AM

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/cons...eccurrent.html

**Identity X** · 01-24-2008 10:44 AM

I've willingly touched a 100,000 volt wire before.

...It was a physics experiment and it demonstrated the importance of current in basically killing people as well as voltage. As such the current was very low and I did not die.

**Adam** · 01-24-2008 12:46 PM

Not the same thing, but I seem to always give people static shocks... Not sure why..

**Spartiate** · 01-24-2008 03:26 PM

Originally Posted by Adam

Not the same thing, but I seem to always give people static shocks... Not sure why..

What kind of clothes do you wear?

**Adam** · 01-24-2008 04:33 PM

Mainly jeans and a jumper of some sorts...

**Spartiate** · 01-24-2008 04:52 PM

Originally Posted by Adam

Mainly jeans and a jumper of some sorts...

Materials like polyester are very staticy, especially combined with dry skin.

**Adam** · 01-24-2008 05:02 PM

polyester, isn't that the stuff they use to make cheap t-shirts?

**Spartiate** · 01-24-2008 05:12 PM

Originally Posted by Adam

polyester, isn't that the stuff they use to make cheap t-shirts?

They make everything with polyester, it`s just an artificial fibre. The only material that doesn`t really make static is cotton.

**Xox** · 01-24-2008 06:21 PM

Originally Posted by Spartiate

Materials like polyester are very staticy, especially combined with dry skin.

What if you give people static shocks even when you don't wear polyester? I seem to give everyone them, including myself. I always get a big one when I touch something metal or electric. For example, if I touch the fan handle, I get a huge static shock. I literally have to touch the lightswitch with something because the risk of getting shocked.

Also my hair is really static-y, maybe it's because of that?