Comments on: Easy to die http://ddhr.org/2008/02/01/easy-to-die/ The personal web presence of David Hosier Wed, 04 Jan 2012 20:12:12 +0000 hourly 1 By: Rich http://ddhr.org/2008/02/01/easy-to-die/#comment-5910 Rich Tue, 05 Feb 2008 22:42:05 +0000 http://ddhr.org/2008/02/01/easy-to-die/#comment-5910 Dave, touch one prong all you want - you won't complete the circuit.  With 120VAC, unless you're pretty creative or unlucky, you aren't likely to injure or kill yourself.  People's reaction to getting shocked tends to cause more injury.  Get shocked up on a ladder, and instinctively leap backward, and I think you will find that the fall hurts a lot more than the shock.  If you are very unlucky, the fall will only hurt for a moment...  It's only slightly easier to kill yourself from electrocution with 120VAC than it is to do so with an ohmmeter (barring toaster ovens, tubs of water, and no GFI), and even that takes unusual circumstances.  (the ohmmeter thing is a bit of an urban legend, but I've heard enough people with doctorates in electrical engineering and in physics agree that it is quite possible that I'm inclined to believe it.) Dave, touch one prong all you want - you won't complete the circuit.  With 120VAC, unless you're pretty creative or unlucky, you aren't likely to injure or kill yourself.  People's reaction to getting shocked tends to cause more injury.  Get shocked up on a ladder, and instinctively leap backward, and I think you will find that the fall hurts a lot more than the shock.  If you are very unlucky, the fall will only hurt for a moment...  It's only slightly easier to kill yourself from electrocution with 120VAC than it is to do so with an ohmmeter (barring toaster ovens, tubs of water, and no GFI), and even that takes unusual circumstances. 
(the ohmmeter thing is a bit of an urban legend, but I've heard enough people with doctorates in electrical engineering and in physics agree that it is quite possible that I'm inclined to believe it.)

]]> By: Dave http://ddhr.org/2008/02/01/easy-to-die/#comment-5908 Dave Mon, 04 Feb 2008 20:17:16 +0000 http://ddhr.org/2008/02/01/easy-to-die/#comment-5908 I'm scared of electricity because (a) I can't see it and (b) I don't understand it.  Sometimes you die when you get zapped.  Other times you don't.  If there was some sort of pattern, maybe I would feel more comfortable touching the metal prongs as I plug things in. I'm scared of electricity because (a) I can't see it and (b) I don't understand it.  Sometimes you die when you get zapped.  Other times you don't.  If there was some sort of pattern, maybe I would feel more comfortable touching the metal prongs as I plug things in.

]]> By: Rus http://ddhr.org/2008/02/01/easy-to-die/#comment-5903 Rus Fri, 01 Feb 2008 22:12:49 +0000 http://ddhr.org/2008/02/01/easy-to-die/#comment-5903 The choking one is a bit scary.  Even scarier is having young kids who think it's fun to take bites of food the size of their head.  The metal prong thing usually won't fry you.  Don't try this at home, but when Bob Peck and I (mostly Bob) were installing some outlets for our deck in Hopatcong, I accidentally "completed the circuit."  Wasn't fun, but I'm living to type about it. The choking one is a bit scary.  Even scarier is having young kids who think it's fun to take bites of food the size of their head. 

The metal prong thing usually won't fry you.  Don't try this at home, but when Bob Peck and I (mostly Bob) were installing some outlets for our deck in Hopatcong, I accidentally "completed the circuit."  Wasn't fun, but I'm living to type about it.

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