ANSWERS: 8
  • Both can kill you equally fast if the voltage is high enough.
  • DC is as dangerous as AC shock if you're talking about really high voltages like on long-distance power transmission lines. With alternating current, however, there is a higher risk of cardiac fibrillation, i.e., putting the heart into a fatal arrhythmia where it doesn't beat properly to produce a rhythmic pulse, but instead just sits there and quivers without actually pumping blood. Ironically if you look at fibrillation thresholds as a function of frequency, it's at a minimum (i.e., easiest to make the heart fibrillate) at around 50-60 Hertz, which is exactly what industrialized countries use for household power. 60 Hz in the U.S., 50 Hz in Europe, etc. So at a given voltage, DC might be safer than AC.
  • Thomas Edison tried to discredit rival Westinghouse's AC power as being too dangerous. As proof Edison staged the execution of several animals, including an elephant, with Westinghouse AC current. When New York State expressed an interest in installing an electric chair, Edison covertly supported a contractor to install one using Westinghouse dynamos.
    • Roaring
      And lets give a heads up to Nicola Tesla that designed those AC dynamos and was convinced to give up his royalty rights
  • A really good teacher in middle school industrial electricity class made us know what electricity feels like. His reasoning is that the emotional reaction to the shock could kill you, even if the electrical forces (current/voltage) tolerable to the human body. I was glad for this education as i felt electricity on many occasions and knew how it felt. High Current High voltage ac or dc is most deadly especially with wet hands and/or feet
  • i would think any shock is dangerous
  • i think theyre both dangerous
  • There is a website run by the ARRL. It is most about HAM radio but the safety section is worth looking at.
  • I don't care for either.

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy