Stephen. The pee exit height (PEH) of a kid aiming the stream upward to achieve contact with an electric fence allows for a solid stream as opposed to a falling gravity-accelerated stream that puts the stream in tensile stress, causing break-up into droplets. High conductivity too, if the electrolytes are up to par.
Sort of an Arc de Triumph kind of thing. You can see the effect of tensile stress on a falling stream at the faucet. Fred > [Original Message] > From: Michael Wood, Cincinnati <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[email protected]> > Date: 12/20/2005 2:28:47 PM > Subject: Re: A Conductive Jet Switch? > > As the listener to a series of stories about electric fences, let me > assure you, they do hurt when peed on! My grandfather did it once, and > for the rest of his life, he'd pass down the family wisdom (just about > the time he opened his third beer) "Boy, don't ever piss on an electric > fence", he would tell me. It made quite an impression on him, and I > think from that point forward his interest in women was purely > gallant--but that may have been because of the heart problems... > > The third rail is rather impressive. At 600 volts, DC, and who knows how > many amps (thousands?) it is dangerous. I worked on the 4th Avenue > subway reconstruction in Brooklyn in the late eighties, and we would > light the tunnels with five 120V lamps in series, mounted on a paddle, > with insulated leads and huge alligator clips. We always placed the > return before hooking to the live rail, and you could see a spark jump > as contact was made. I remember about that same time a motorman was > electrocuted when he came down out of the train in a flooded section of > track. We paid a lot of attention to it, and were very respectful. > People do a lot of urinating in the subway tunnels, but not on the third > rail! > > You do get an arc across a single opening, but I don't think you would > get an arc at medium voltages across multiple openings in the circuit or > flow. Of course at high voltages, we get incredible arcs--across wide > spaces and multiple streams--like lightning, for instance. The crucial > question would be "what voltage"? Once established, an arc will continue > until such time as the space becomes too long to jump. That's the > principle we utilize for electric welding. We strike the arc, and then > back off slightly to create the proper conditions for the transfer of > metal--although the rod held to the same welding position before an arc > is struck will not create the "arc-over". To a certain point, > lengthening the arc increases the heat, at least to my untrained eye. > > As to the original question about the electric fence, a flow is needed, > but it only need be a steady stream between the fence and the sensitive > parts <gr>. > Mike Wood, Cincinnati > > > Stephen A. Lawrence wrote: > > > > > > > Frederick Sparber wrote: > > > >> Reminiscent of the early 1940's when a neighbor kid urinated on > >> an electric fence,Once. > > > > > > My first thought on reading this was "Ouch!!". It reminds me of a > > tale I heard of a drunk taking a leak on the third rail of the subway, > > for an even bigger "ouch". > > > > But my second thought was, "How can this work??? Something's weird > > here!" > > > > I'm sure we all know what a stream of urine looks like -- sparkly, not > > smooth. And I expect we all know why: like the ubiquitous displays in > > science museums of a stream of falling water with a strobe light > > flashing on it, which "freezes" the stream as a line of little beads > > when the strobe's set just right, the stream breaks up into droplets > > very early -- long before it would actually hit anything. > > > > So, at the point of contact with the wire, the "stream" is actually a > > line of separate falling drops. It's not a continuous stream, at all. > > > > But for these tales to be true, the "stream" must conduct electricity. > > > > How can a line of disjoint drops conduct electricity? > > > > Are these stories of disastrous encounters with electric fences and > > third rails all apocryphal, or is there some mechanism by which > > current can flow through a discontiguous line of water droplets? > > > > > > > >> > >> Fred > >> > >> > >> > >> ----- Original Message ----- > >> *From:* Frederick Sparber <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >> *To: *vortex-l <mailto:[email protected]> > >> *Sent:* 12/17/2005 5:52:07 AM > >> *Subject:* Re: A Conductive Jet Switch? > >> > >> Since exploding wire technology is employed to maximize energy > >> density, but > >> is slow and cumbersome, why not a jet of electrolyte or metal to > >> effect kilojoule-megajoule > >> energy discharge of capacitor banks? > >> For instance a pool of Lithium Hydroxide Electrolyte, D2 Gas, or > >> D2O on top of a Cathode Pool of > >> Mercury with an insulation-sleeved Tungsten-Tipped Anode in a sealed > >> chamber, triggered by > >> electro-hydraulic actuation of a plunger-orifice device in the > >> pool? > >> Fred > > > > > >
