A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.
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This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.
With sufficient voltage, everything is a conductor.
With insufficient voltage, everything is an insulator.
Neither may be conducive to those roles, but everything has some conductivity and some resistance (super conductors being a possible exception).
How about in vacuum? Do you get fancy arcs or glows or what?
In typical conditions, an electrical arc forms when the electric field strength exceeds the dielectric strength of the medium (like air). In a vacuum, there is no medium to ionize, which theoretically makes it difficult for an arc to form. However, electricity can still arc in a vacuum under certain conditions, such as when high voltages are involved or when the electrodes are extremely close together.
I was thinking neon lights. I mean that's basically an arc, just spread out. I think I heard that there's a glow in vacuum too, just not as nice as with neon.
Well, a quick search turned up this: Vacuum Arc
However, like the above comment, it seems to refer to freeing electrons from the conducts, so, IMHO, you no longer have a vacuum.
If you could somehow maintain a perfect vacuum; I wonder how this concept Virtual particle would come into play (or if it would at all).
Oh hey, I design those. Though I design them so that there's an incredibly low risk they do that.
Boorring, we want sparks ✨️
...and DEATH
I'll see what I can fit into my next design
🫶
High frequency! It Mega hurtz!
Low frequency! It kill a hurtz!
Ultra high frequency! It giga hurtz!
Pretty much any high voltage high frequency thing really hurtz. It'll kill you at different rates but it'll hurt the entire time.
Still the path of least resistance
Or is it the path of most convenience? 🤷♀️
Sounds the same to me
Looks like a mad scientist cackling a maniacal laugh.
It's like one of those lichtenburg patterns, except in air.
Low voltage: "Oh no, there is a tiny spot of corrosion on the contact surface, I think I need to lie down..."
High voltage: (rips line of coke) "I'M GONNA MAKE MY OWN WIRES WITH BLACKJACK AND HOOKERS!"
This is particularly applicable around downed power cables. Do NOT approach. You don't need to touch it to become the wire.
For example: in LA right now
dO nOT toUch the DoWn wIres uuuum I have MY RIGHTS to turn myself into a gas station hotdogs thankyouverymuch
You have to keep in mind that the resistance from one foot to your other is going to be less than dry earth between your strides. This means if you are walking toward a downed power line, you may inadvertently walk within its path to its ground and the voltage could actually travel through you.
Everything is a wire if the voltage is high enough.
Every machine is a smoke machine if you use it wrong enough.
I was interviewed for a position where lady handed me a pen and asked if it was a conductor.
I replied: "if the voltage is high enough, yea. She scoffed. Needless to say, I didn't get the job.
Honestly I think you gave the experienced adult answer to what was a high school or even middle school science question.
"it's current not voltage that kills you"
High voltage: "Por que no los dos?"
High voltage: “hey bestie, how would you like a ✨️new and improved ✨️ nervous system?”
When you cast Chain Lightning at nothing.
Į̴̶̴̨̧̧͓̱̞̣͈͇̠͙̭̯̹̗̩̺͉̪ͪ͑̓ͪ͋̊̿̿ͥ͆̅ͨͩͦ͘͘͠͠ͅ A̧̝̻̮ͨ͗́̍̀̑͘͘͞͡M̠̣͈̮̱̼̥̗̳͚͙͎͚ͭ̅͌͆̄̍̿͐̓ͨͮ̎̅̚͜͟͝͠ B̸̲̞̗̭̹̯͓̠̝̯͈̊͌͒͜͡Ḛ̫̝̦̜̖͕̣̞͚̲̦̯̬̩̝̠̖͉͕͔̟ͨ̀̏ͭ̈ͨͩͨ̓̌̊̉̏ͦ͆̂͒ͨ̽͟͠C̴̷̵̨̗͈̺͓͖̳̭̬͚̹̠͕͇̝̠ͬͣ͋͂ͨͥͧͯ͛̏̏̊ͫ̓ͮͤ͘͢͡Ò̴̷̸͍̼͕̪̦͍͎͚͖͇͎͎̱̙̖͕̰̲͋̈́ͤ̔̄ͦ̌͑͒̇͟͝M̲͇̱̝̣̳̳̟̟̠͎̞͂̆́ͥͯ̾͠E̷̸̢̡̢͉̣͓̳͉̻̲̰͇͕͌̒̈́͌̍ͮ͌̋ͮ̄̉ͮͭͯͣ̏̐̕ Ẁ̩̥͇̬̼̻͙̦̬͙̂̓̍ͮ́̃̎̎ͪ́̃́̀̽ͧĮ̧͖̠͙͎̫ͧͯͥ̄̆ͧͦ̅̕͜͜͝R̴̶̢̧̨̛̘͖̜͔͙̼̼̂̇ͬͪͩ́ͯ̅ͯ̆̍̀ͥ͠͞͞E̶̝͙̯͔̹̦̽̌͊̈̐̅͌ͨ͆ͥͫ͆͛̓̕͜
B̷̨̛̲̩̥̺͉̜̘͖̦͑́̀̎̊̂̒͐͘Ẻ̵̛͎͎͑̎̉̾͛̌͒̆̓ ̸͙͍̟͇̬̩̩͍̮͇͓̰̏́͒̇̽̎́̃͘N̸̦͈̒̏͌̐̀O̴̧̳͕̣̒̂̋̾̂̎T̴̡͓̪̰̙̀͒̓͐̉͗̓̈̍͒ ̴̭̈͊À̵̡̢̼͍̮̞͍̯̙̙͉̙̫̽̃͆́̈́̈́̈́̌̀̚͘͜͝͝F̶̛̛͎̒̿̈́̆̏̽̅͐͝͠R̸͔͖̪̖͉͎̀̾̔̕͝͝͝͝A̶̰̮̜̻̹̓̐̂̅̀ͅI̶̛͔͓͌̑̄́̅͌̂͝͝D̸̢͚̯͈͇̜̞̳̣͉̹̬̣̆͜
I don't know too much about HV, but I thought that even the crazy path shown in the picture was still the path of least resistance. Is that wrong?
Dielectric breakdown, literally carving its own path of least resistance through the air.
Pshaw, even at LV, it's a lay theory that is, at best, vastly incomplete and, at worst, demonstrably false.
Electricity will flow through all paths, the most electricity will flow down the path of the least resistance.
That arc is going up because the plasma is hot and the air is turbulent.
From what I've seen, nothing will make a bunch of linemen hit the deck like the sound of high voltage switchgear opening when they weren't expecting it.
"NNNNYYYYYYAAAAAZZZZZZZZZZTTTTT"
I think that still is actually from this video of a switch opening. Sound on, it's real neat.
I love how the 60Hz AC coursing through the plasma (?) can be heard at a safe distance. It really conveys just how much energy is in that arc.
That’s fascinating!