Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!zephyr.ens.tek.com!tektronix!gvgpsa!gold!grege
From: grege@gold.GVG.TEK.COM (Gregory Ebert)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Zap, fry, and sizzle
Message-ID: <804@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>
Date: 22 Feb 90 19:08:07 GMT
References: <799@gold.GVG.TEK.COM>
Organization: Grass Valley Group, Grass Valley, CA
Lines: 32


	I almost forgot 2 other, quasi-related victims.

	Our first specimen was a potato. My buddy Art and I put 2 nails
	into it, and plugged 'er into 220 VAC. After awhile, it started
	to get warm. Then we graduated to a lemon. Hmmmm, lemons are a bit
	acidic -- should be a few eager hydronia to mingle about ! So, we
	plugged it in, and got some hissing, along with some steam 
	coming out by the electrodes. POP !! So much steam built up that
	the nail got pushed out. Try as we may, we could never get a lemon
	to explode. Once, Art put the nails too close to eachother, and
	it shorted-out. Got this really neat yellow light (OK, you 'hack'
	players, I encountered an exploding yellow-light !) which looked
	just like a light bulb!

	I've also boiled water with 120 VAC: 5 gallon bucket, drop-in a
	plugged-in extension cord. Nothing happens. Oh, I know, lets
	throw in some salt. Sizzle,sizzle. Lets pour in some more. Burble,
	burble,burble. Lets pour in a lot !! Zzzzz, Zapp, bubble, pop-pop,
	bzzzzzz, CLICK ! Oh my, there goes the 20 amp breaker. Better use
	the 220 V/50A circuit for the arc-welder !! Pop-pop, burble.....
	Hey, what's that green and brown scum ?? KABOOM !! Must have been
	the hydrogen/oxygen buildup detonating by a spark. A few minutes
	later the bucket started to get soft from the heat....

			- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

	Any fishermen out there ? I heard that you can get worms to crawl
	to the surface of soggy dirt by pounding a metal bar into the
	ground and connecting it to the AC line (the more juice, the
	better) Anyone try it ? I don't have lotsa worms where I live -
	and I don't mean 'anymore'.