So after over a year of neglecting this blog, I have decided its time to re-start it! I really miss hearing from all of you on a regular basis! I'm not quite sure how to approach it though. I'm stuck between writing about scientific topics and just every day life. I suppose I could just do a combination of both eh? Maybe thats what I'll do with this post!
First off, a science tidbit. Did you know that a 9v battery has more than enough power to stop your heart?! I certainly didn't until the other day in physics! So the story behind this is that this super tough ex-marine decided he wanted to test the internal resistance of his body using an ohmmeter, which is a device used to measure resistance in a circuit by running 9v through the circuit using two pointed metal probes. Well this guy, being tough, decided to jam the probes INTO his thumbs, creating a current across his heart large enough to kill him!!
So, how does this happen?? First off its important to note that its CURRENT that kills, not VOLTAGE. Given a circuit with low enough resistance, a 9v battery can generate a massive current. Current is calculated using the Equation V = IR, which is Ohm's law. So say you have a 9v battery and a 1 Ohm resistor, V/R = I = 9/1 = 9 Amperes of current! Thats more than your alarm clock draws from the wall by at least a factor of 9. Anyway back to the stry. So some important numbers are: External resistance of the body ~1,000,000 ohms, Internal resistance of the Body ~200ohms, Current Threshold of feeling for the human Body .001 Amperes, Threshold of heart failure .05 Amperes. So! Using those numbers you can calculate the current across the guy"s heart for both external and internal resistance. for external we have 9/1,000,000 =0.000009 amps. Thats pretty low. In fact so low you cant even feel it! However, once you penetrate the skin you have electrolyte enriched blood, which conducts electricity waaay better than skin! So using the same equation, 9/200 = .045 amps! This is extremely close to our Threshold of heart failure! In fact, close enough that since the threshold of every body varies, as does internal resistance, that this is definitly enough to kill. Scary huh?! So think about that next time you stick a battery to your tongue! No just for fun lets say your stranded out in a rain storm underneath a transmission line (xD) and the line breaks and lands on you. Transmission lines run 240,000v, and the resistance of a wet body is about 1,000 ohms. So 240,000/1000 = 1000 Amps! Wow!! Can you say "Fried" ?? lol
So to change the subject completely, life has been very interesting on my end lately. I just recently switched majors from computer engineering to dual degree Phyiscs/Electrical Engineering. I decided after the last two semesters that programming just isn't what I want to do for the rest of my life, so I decided to go with my original calling; Physics! I love everything about physics, and this semester's class has reinforced that in me. The bummer about that is that the dual degree takes 5 years, and since last year I was only taking CS classes, none of that counted towards my new degree. Sooo I have 4 years left after this one. *SIGH* Oh well, ya do what you have to i guess!
Soo on an entirely unrelated (or maybe not so unrelated? You decide i guess..) note, lately I have been completely OBSESSED with Evanescence!! It seems like no matter how many times I listen to their songs, I never get tired of them! At this very moment I'm listening Hello from the album Fallen. Great song! Since yesterday afternoon I have listened to thier album The Open Door twice and am over halfway through Fallen right now. At the end of this week I'll give you a tally of how many times I listened to each of their albums! :D Evanescence forever!! hahaha
Finally, At the end of every post from now on I want to ask a comment question pertaining to the post! It may be funny or thought provoking, but either way I'll try to make it something interesting to answer! So today's question is:
What was the biggest electric shock you have ever gotten, and how did it happen?
Thanks for reading everyone! I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any questions/comments/suggestions just hit me up in the comment section!
~Andrew
Solo!
Just a random image of my AWESOME Gibson Flying V!
The updated, and less ambiguous description of myself:
- madscientist
- Spring Valley, WI, United States
- I am a very strange person. Some might wonder at my sanity. Sometimes I do. I dont always know. But either way I dont need to worry about it; its in Gods hands! I may not understand everything that happens or why things are the way they are, but I dont have to, because someone bigger then you or me is in control of it all! It is in that trust that I place my life without any doubts! Even though life isnt always a cake-walk, God is ALWAYS there! THERE! how is THAT for a description?!
5 comments:
Hey, I recently switched to a five year degree as well; so I feel your pain!! Oh well. I think the biggest electric shock I've ever gotten was one of those lame shocks you randomly get when you touch something. (I have no idea how it happened- there's a reason I'm not in science! ;)
I would probably say the biggest electric shock I have ever gotten was trying to turn on a light switch that had no cover... and, well... I missed. DAANNG. The Biggest shock I ever came close to getting was when I was young and stupid,and I decided to cut a fan's power cord in half... I'm so intelligent :D
Hope the new major works out! Biggest electric shock? Touching the electric fence on the old farm. Lame, I know.
Oh, I'd forgotten about electric fences!! Okay this one time I grabbed onto an electric fence and I was thinking, "Okay something really really hurts and I don't even know what it is!" The fence seriously shocked me like 3 times before it crossed my mind that I was grabbing an electris fence! When I took my hand off it had this grey line on t where the fence shocked me!
Haha I totally did the same thing when I was younger! I grabbed onto a fence and I got shocked 3 or 4 times before I realized what it was..FAIL! lol but thats the thing with electricity...its a whole body experience so its really hard to tell where exactly the pain is originating.
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