| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"mike3" |
| Date: |
03 Aug 2006 04:59:18 PM |
| Object: |
Really *strong* electric forces |
Hi.
Is it possible to build up enough charge on an object in air (provided
it's big enough) to get 1 kg of force (about a couple of pounds) acting
two objects of similar size and charge magnitude? Has it been done? If
so, how?
Also, what would happen to somebody exposed to an intense electric
field (say 500 kN/C)?
Would they die a horrible, gruesome death as the charged ions in their
bodies are yanked out? Would the ions even get yanked out in the first
place?
.
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| User: "Henning Makholm" |
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| Title: Re: Really *strong* electric forces |
04 Aug 2006 08:00:28 PM |
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Scripsit "mike3" <mike4ty4@yahoo.com>
Also, what would happen to somebody exposed to an intense electric
field (say 500 kN/C)?
Would they die a horrible, gruesome death as the charged ions in their
bodies are yanked out? Would the ions even get yanked out in the first
place?
Around that magnitude air begins to ionize, so whatever generates the
eletric field would be shorted out by a spark discharge. Whether you'd
die horribly or just get a jump depends on how much current the field
source is prepared to deliver.
For a low intensity experience, build up some static by walking on a
synthetic carpet with the wrong shoes on, then touch a grounded metal
item with a fingertip. Not comfortable but far from lethal.
At the other end of the scale, arrange to get hit by lightning, which
is fairly often fatal.
--
Henning Makholm "However, the fact that the utterance by
Epimenides of that false sentence could imply the
existence of some Cretan who is not a liar is rather unsettling."
.
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| User: "mike3" |
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| Title: Re: Really *strong* electric forces |
05 Aug 2006 02:14:11 AM |
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Henning Makholm wrote:
Scripsit "mike3" <mike4ty4@yahoo.com>
Also, what would happen to somebody exposed to an intense electric
field (say 500 kN/C)?
Would they die a horrible, gruesome death as the charged ions in their
bodies are yanked out? Would the ions even get yanked out in the first
place?
Around that magnitude air begins to ionize, so whatever generates the
eletric field would be shorted out by a spark discharge. Whether you'd
die horribly or just get a jump depends on how much current the field
source is prepared to deliver.
For a low intensity experience, build up some static by walking on a
synthetic carpet with the wrong shoes on, then touch a grounded metal
item with a fingertip. Not comfortable but far from lethal.
At the other end of the scale, arrange to get hit by lightning, which
is fairly often fatal.
Oh, so it's the induced currents that do the damage -- you don't get
ripped
to shreds. What about if it's below the dielectric point of air, but
you're
totally immersed in the field?
--
Henning Makholm "However, the fact that the utterance by
Epimenides of that false sentence could imply the
existence of some Cretan who is not a liar is rather unsettling."
.
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| User: "Henning Makholm" |
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| Title: Re: Really *strong* electric forces |
06 Aug 2006 08:43:15 AM |
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Scripsit "mike3" <mike4ty4@yahoo.com>
Oh, so it's the induced currents that do the damage -- you don't get
ripped to shreds. What about if it's below the dielectric point of
air, but you're totally immersed in the field?
If the field grows slowly enough, ions in the blood and other body
fluids will redistribute until their combined electrostatic field
within the body cancels out the external one. Your cellular
electrochemistry will therefore go on without noticing.
If you manage to turn on the field extremely quickly the story may be
different, but I suppose one would rather talk about radiation damage
in that case.
--
Henning Makholm "Gå ud i solen eller regnen, smil, køb en ny trøje,
slå en sludder af med købmanden, puds dine støvler. Lev!"
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