Electricity And Water

November 15th, 2011
physics
If someone throws an extension cord into the water right next to me, I understand I'm probably going to be electrocuted. If they throw it in the water a mile away, I'm probably not. What determines the dangerous distance from the power cord? Is it a sphere with its center at the cord's end and its radius the distance to the ground? Is it different in salt water? Does the voltage, or the capacity of the wire matter? Is DC (lightning) different?

Comment via: google plus, facebook

Recent posts on blogs I like:

Book Review: The Kingdom, The Power, and the Glory

Against the Internet

via Thing of Things April 25, 2025

Impact, agency, and taste

understand + work backwards from the root goal • don’t rely too much on permission or encouragement • make success inevitable • find your angle • think real hard • reflect on your thinking

via benkuhn.net April 19, 2025

Which Came First, the Chicken or the Egg?

When I thought about this question it was really hard to figure out because the way it's phrased it's essentially either a chicken just pops into existence, or an egg just pops into existence, without any parent animals involved. I thought about t…

via Lily Wise's Blog Posts April 13, 2025

more     (via openring)