Electric eel

funny@lemmus.org to Lemmy Shitpost@lemmy.world – 273 points –
i.imgflip.com
38

You are viewing a single comment

This is not true. The voltage is 3 times higher, that's part of why it's so debilitating. If the power (amperage) was 3 times higher that man would not have gotten back up. Their amperage peaks at about 1 amp, which is enough to do some damage.

There’s no given amperage coming out of the wall, it’s a product of V=IR. Given a constant resistance for the person’s body, three times the voltage does means three times the current.

“Voltage doesn’t kill you, current does” is a bad statement that’s often repeated. You don’t get current without voltage.

Good electroboom video: https://youtu.be/XDf2nhfxVzg

An eel can only generate so much power, so essentially the voltage will drop so that the power will be lower.

600V at 0,1A will just turn to, say, 100V at 0,6A if the resistance between two points will be 1667 Ohm.

To keep voltage at 600V (and subsequently deliver 0,36A) you need a power source that can deliver 3,6 times more power.

In that sense, amperage is super important. We should always consider capabilities of the power source, this is big part of electrical grid engineering.

1 more...

1A amperage is a feature of saltwater eels, ones that produce electricity at much lower voltages, like 10-80V. This is a natural adaptation allowing them to maximize power output in a relatively highly conductive environment.

The freshwater eels, the ones producing 600-800V, are only able to output about 0,1A, because that's just how power works.

1A at 600V would be almost a guaranteed instakill for a human.

1 more...