The Library of Work and Play: Electricity and Its Everyday UsesWoodhull, John F. (John Francis)
Science
The Library of Work and Play: Electricity and Its Everyday Uses
Woodhull, John F. (John Francis)
Electricity -- Juvenile literature
By wetting the fingers and pressing them firmly upon the bare wires,
we may make the ammeter read .01, that is, we may increase the current
tenfold by reducing the resistance to one tenth. But there is nothing
disagreeable about the feeling. If the same experiment is tried with
the 110-volt alternating current, although the quantity of current
which passes through the fingers is the same as before, the tingling
is more perceptible than in the case of the direct current. If we
join together seventy-five dry cells, giving a voltage of 112, and
press the bare wires with our wet fingers, the ammeter will indicate
.01, but there is no tingling sensation, merely a slight warmth. The
battery current, being continuous, causes no twitching of the muscles
while the contact is closed. The direct current dynamo furnishes a
slightly pulsating current. Hence, one may tell by the feeling whether
an electric current comes from a battery or a direct current dynamo.
The alternating-current dynamo gives a surging of electricity back
and forth in the wires, and this may be distinguished from the direct
current by its feeling; when, however, the number of alternations per
second is increased very greatly, one may receive through the body
considerable quantities of electricity without feeling it. With a very
high frequency current one may put himself in circuit and light a
16-candle-power lamp without any disagreeable sensation.
The outer skin is our chief insulation. If it is dry and well toughened
by work it offers a resistance of over 100,000 ohms upon gentle
contact. A wounded spot, or places like the tongue with moist, thin
skin, may offer a resistance as low as 500 ohms. If one has a pin prick
or a splinter in his hand which he cannot locate, he may hold one bare
wire of a 110-volt alternating circuit in one hand and move the other
bare wire about on the suspected region, and know when it reaches the
spot by a tingling sensation.
[Illustration: Photograph by Helen W. Cooke. Feeling Electricity]
One may touch lightly the 220-volt direct current and scarcely note any
difference between this and the 110-volt direct current, because one is
not very sensitive to the difference between .001 ampere and .002
ampere passing through his body.
(100 volts)/(100,000 ohms) = .001 ampere,
and
(200 volts)/(100,000 ohms) = .002 amperes
Physicians treat certain ailments by the use of the electric current.
For this purpose they invariably use a pulsating or alternating current
and reduce the resistance by using metal handles and wet sponges for
contact with the skin, but even so a very small amount of current
passes. The moderate twitching of the muscles seems to be the end
sought.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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