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Author Craft / Re: Electricity, Electromagnetism, Bioelectric fields, Need realism
« on: May 20, 2011, 12:12:45 PM »
I hope I can help with some of this, I'm a soon to be graduated (next tuesday!) physicist, but electromagnetism isn't my strong suit, so this might not be complete or even correct.
Why don't electric eels shock themselves?
No idea
Would it be possible for a sixth sense similar to the Electric Eel or Shark's ability to sense bioelectric fields to function outside an aquatic environment?
I believe goose have this, they use the earth's magnetic field for navigation (there's an episode of Eureka about this, great series!)
Could electromagnets be reliably weaponized in the form of armor, such as a bracer? What I mean by this, is could you design a solenoid to fit inside a piece of armor or weapon that could be activated in various ways to either attract or repel other ferromagnetic materials? Could said solenoid also function as a small, but functional gauss cannon?
The main problem with electromagnets is that their fields are generally very weak. The only way to generate a strong field is to run a very high electric current through the solenoid. The problem with this is that because of the electrical resistance of the solenoid, an immense amount of heat would be generated (i.e. burning your arm). It is possible to circumvent this problem using superconducting coils, which have zero electrical resistance. The downside of this is that this requires very low temperatures (around -100 celcius is the highest temperature possible I believe). So once again you would be burning your arm. If you can somehow circumvent this problem I think it would be possible to use such a device for the purposes you mentioned.
How would someone actually kill via electrocution if that were the aim? Would it require multiple contact points, or could a circut be formed using a single contact point such as a hand placed flat against the other person?
To kill via electrocution you need to run a current through a person. This requires two contact points. These two points can be anything as long as there is a large voltage difference among them and they are conducting. So for instance you could place your hand (with a large high voltage) on someone and push them into something metallic like a signpost. This would create a current through them and kill them if that is large enough.
Assuming a person could generate a powerful and sustainable electric current inside himself, would he be able to create a magnetic field strong enough to affect ferromagnetic materials such as swords and armor enough to be of use in a combat situation?
I don't know, but my first instinct says no
How do magnetic materials actually function, and what determines which side attracts and which repel?
Inside the material are a lot of tiny regions where all atoms are pointed in the same direction. This creates a tiny amount of magnetism. By heating the material these regions get ' loose' and they can change direction. If the material is placed in a magnetic field, they will align with that field. If you cool it down now, the regions freeze back into place, only now they are all aimed in the same direction, creating a magnet. Which side attracts and which repels is based on the orientation of these regions. Same sides repel, opposite side attracts. (crappy analogy: the magnet is a bus, the people in it magnetic regions. Two busses in line behind each other attract: the people are front to back. If the first bus were to turn around, the people would be face to face with those in the the other bus, and they would repel each other).
<Running out of time, may expand this later. Short answer for now>
What is the difference between static and current electricity, and would it be possible to achieve "miniature lighting" affects from organs similar to those on the Electric Eel?
I think that might be possible.
Why don't electric eels shock themselves?
No idea
Would it be possible for a sixth sense similar to the Electric Eel or Shark's ability to sense bioelectric fields to function outside an aquatic environment?
I believe goose have this, they use the earth's magnetic field for navigation (there's an episode of Eureka about this, great series!)
Could electromagnets be reliably weaponized in the form of armor, such as a bracer? What I mean by this, is could you design a solenoid to fit inside a piece of armor or weapon that could be activated in various ways to either attract or repel other ferromagnetic materials? Could said solenoid also function as a small, but functional gauss cannon?
The main problem with electromagnets is that their fields are generally very weak. The only way to generate a strong field is to run a very high electric current through the solenoid. The problem with this is that because of the electrical resistance of the solenoid, an immense amount of heat would be generated (i.e. burning your arm). It is possible to circumvent this problem using superconducting coils, which have zero electrical resistance. The downside of this is that this requires very low temperatures (around -100 celcius is the highest temperature possible I believe). So once again you would be burning your arm. If you can somehow circumvent this problem I think it would be possible to use such a device for the purposes you mentioned.
How would someone actually kill via electrocution if that were the aim? Would it require multiple contact points, or could a circut be formed using a single contact point such as a hand placed flat against the other person?
To kill via electrocution you need to run a current through a person. This requires two contact points. These two points can be anything as long as there is a large voltage difference among them and they are conducting. So for instance you could place your hand (with a large high voltage) on someone and push them into something metallic like a signpost. This would create a current through them and kill them if that is large enough.
Assuming a person could generate a powerful and sustainable electric current inside himself, would he be able to create a magnetic field strong enough to affect ferromagnetic materials such as swords and armor enough to be of use in a combat situation?
I don't know, but my first instinct says no
How do magnetic materials actually function, and what determines which side attracts and which repel?
Inside the material are a lot of tiny regions where all atoms are pointed in the same direction. This creates a tiny amount of magnetism. By heating the material these regions get ' loose' and they can change direction. If the material is placed in a magnetic field, they will align with that field. If you cool it down now, the regions freeze back into place, only now they are all aimed in the same direction, creating a magnet. Which side attracts and which repels is based on the orientation of these regions. Same sides repel, opposite side attracts. (crappy analogy: the magnet is a bus, the people in it magnetic regions. Two busses in line behind each other attract: the people are front to back. If the first bus were to turn around, the people would be face to face with those in the the other bus, and they would repel each other).
<Running out of time, may expand this later. Short answer for now>
What is the difference between static and current electricity, and would it be possible to achieve "miniature lighting" affects from organs similar to those on the Electric Eel?
I think that might be possible.