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From: ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu (Duke McMullan n5gax)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Electric Fences (why does person on end get the shock?)
Message-ID: <1211@ariel.unm.edu>
Date: 3 Jan 90 00:37:50 GMT
References: <3858@orion.cf.uci.edu>
Sender: news@ariel.unm.edu
Reply-To: ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu.UUCP (Duke McMullan n5gax)
Organization: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
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The physics discussion following this article has been enlightening, but we
haven't yet considered physiology or psychology.

Some people have a substantially higher skin resistance than others (and we'll
forgo the "poor conductor" joke at this point) -- this is the physiological --
and the reaction to a given shock (constant current, for reference) can vary
enormously among individuals -- that's the psychological.

I speak only for myself, but MY reaction to an electric shock varies greatly
with situation, time of day, state of mind, phase of the moon, etc. One of the
worst shocks I ever got...naw, that's a story for another time.

The whole point here is that it's VERY hard to establish that the geek on the
end of the line actually gets the hardest shock. For that matter, exactly what
is meant by the "hardest shock"? He screams the loudest?

Think it over.

On a subject whose Hamming distance from the above isn't very great, no doubt
you've heard stories about people micturating on an electric fence, ignition
coil, or other source of HV. I'm skeptical of them, categorically. Want to
know why? Just take a strobe unit (photographic will do, but repetitive flashes
will be better) with you the next time you go in for a number one. Try for a
fairly dark bathroom. As the waters flow, fire that strobe. Look CLOSELY at
that stream. Now, are you skeptical too?


							d


		    Fortunate is he for whom the belle toils.
      Duke McMullan n5gax nss13429r phon505-255-4642 ee5391aa@hydra.unm.edu