Re: Jurassic Park

[mark@pokey.jsc.nasa.gov (Mark Manning)]

In article <1993Jul2.100004.17794@ee.ubc.ca>, bdow@ee.ubc.ca (Bruce Dow)
wrote:
> Ah! My pet peeve! It could be clearly seen in the movie that the
> electric fence was constructed as smaller scale ones for cattle are.
> That is, all the wires were electrically connected. The main wires
> ran horizontally and smaller wires ran up and down making a mesh.
> It could be clearly seen that none of the wires were insulated. 
> 
> So the only way to get a shock from the fence would be 
> to touch the fence and the ground at the same
> time to provide a return path for the current, right? I thought
> Spielburg would have expected his audience to be smart enough
> to figure that out. I thought the voltage would come back and
> Tim would be okay, but would have to jump down in order to avoid
> getting a shock...

Actually, wouldn't the fact that his body extended between two of the
lines be enough to create the zap?  Since the power runs through each
of the lines wouldn't a body act as a resistance capacitor (sp?)
across the lines.  I don't think you'd get the flash but I think the
effect would be like placing a bit of solder across two tracings on
a circuit board.  You cause a short which has the potential to wreck
havoc.  But I'm probably wrong about this.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Through the nights I've sat and wondered.  Why it is we waste and plunder.
This place in which we stay.  This world we've thrown away. - Mark Manning

mark@pokey.jsc.nasa.gov