Stupid Question About Tasers

humanji

After what happened in the states with the dumb student getting zapped by the cops, a mate and I were talking. Bear in mind, alcohol had been consumed and in general, we're both idiots.

But I was wondering what would happen if you were hit by a taser and were touching someone else? Would it be like when you touch an electric fence andtouch someone else, and they get a shock? Or would you both get shocked, or maybe the charge disipates before it gets to the other person?

And what would happen if you were touching the person who zapped you? Would it be worse for them since they'd be holding the device that's generating the charge?

connundrum

I'd presume the shock would be distributed between the body masses? Maybe not in equal amounts but it should lower the 'normal shock' for 1 person by them selves..

And if you touched the person that was shocking you, would that not complete the circuit - thereby giving no one a shock?

Sadly I failed physics, so that might be bollocks

jaggeh

http://www.taser.com/facts/qa.htm

rubadub

Ever see the UK police with them, they have to shout out "TAZER TAZER TAZER", more like tosser, tosser, tosser. I'd love to have some gadget that shoots it right back at them.

biko

Just don't pee on the taser

Feral Mutant

connundrum wrote:

And if you touched the person that was shocking you, would that not complete the circuit - thereby giving no one a shock?

I doubt it. The taser is most likely insulated from the person holding it, otherwise everytime they fired it, they'd be shocked themselves.

Black Swan

If you were on your feet and your shoes were insultated, is that why some tasers for two leads to strike you? One to ground?

nobodythere

There are two electrodes (contact point) on a taser. To complete the circuit, you'd have to be touching them. Your body acts as a resistor. You're putting roughly a 20,000V force between A and B, because it's the actual quantity of electric current that will kill you, not voltage.

In an ideal situation, let's say both electrodes are connected between either hand and you grab a metal gate with both hands. You're connecting two resistors in parallel, the voltage through each of them is 20,000V, and the current through it is given by I=V/R. The resistance of the gate is really small being metal and whatnot, making the current through it really large. Henceforth whatnot notwithstanding, the gate would take most of the current.

However, if you were to be shot in the back with the taser and grab the metal with your hands, it's more complex. In fact I don't know what would happen because the path between the electrodes would have a low resistance, but the resistance to the gate would be fairly high because it owuld have to travel through your arms.

That's my 2c anyway.

maxi-twist

humanji wrote:

But I was wondering what would happen if you were hit by a taser and were touching someone else? Would it be like when you touch an electric fence andtouch someone else, and they get a shock? Or would you both get shocked, or maybe the charge disipates before it gets to the other person?

And what would happen if you were touching the person who zapped you? Would it be worse for them since they'd be holding the device that's generating the charge?

It doesnt go through you.I've been tazered before and was holding onto someone and nothing ahppened to them.Killed me tho!
Also,has it ever happened to ne1 else here b4?Any1 care to tell me why u get loadsa bumps where ever it happened?Is that just the muscles stiffening?

DemonOfTheFall

The electricity passes between the two electrodes jammed into you, it doesn't go to ground.

FranknFurter

maxi-twist wrote:

It doesnt go through you.I've been tazered before and was holding onto someone and nothing ahppened to them.Killed me tho!

Boards.ie's first ghost?!?!?!?

B

Manic Moran

Cop tased in the family jewels.

http://rescuehumor.com/video/TASER_to_Balls.htm

I'm not sure which is worse: The probes drilling little holes in your balls, or the shock.

You will note that though he's obviously not going anywhere, he's still more or less able to stand, and the cops which help him don't get zapped.

NTM

nobodythere

On second thoughts because the electrodes are so close together, most of it would pass through you

Fratton Fred

rubadub wrote:

Ever see the UK police with them, they have to shout out "TAZER TAZER TAZER", more like tosser, tosser, tosser. I'd love to have some gadget that shoots it right back at them.

I've got a friend in the Met Police, he thinks that and Pepper spray are brilliant.

you can drop an 18 stone drunk psycho like a sack of spuds.

you do have to wanr the person first though, hence the shouting.

Giblet

rubadub wrote:

Ever see the UK police with them, they have to shout out "TAZER TAZER TAZER", more like tosser, tosser, tosser. I'd love to have some gadget that shoots it right back at them.

Yeah those police deserve everything they get!

:rolleyes:

cjt156

That's why I always carry a large resisitor (at least one MegaOhm).

bushy...

Just a matter of time before someone comes up with conductive spray for clothes to make you tazer proof , or something like http://tinyurl.com/vy9h6 .
The crowd of trekkies wil save you from tazeriing

im_invisible

biko wrote:

Just don't pee on the taser

is it still called a shock if you grab an electric fence on purpose?

Don1

I wonder if you were to wear a suit with a built in mesh like that found in a heated front window would the electricity zip through the wires as it's the path of lowest resistance?!:rolleyes:

the Shades

all I know is you can't use them on students to wake them up...

sometimes my job is no fun

pvt. joker

it should be noted that this kid was drive stunned, not barbed. the difference is the shock only affects an inch radius around the area tased.

and no, it won't spread to anyone else. Search for "taser" on youtube.com and you will see scores of police officers being tased. They have to be tased themselves in order to carry one

DublinEvents

I'm sure there are plenty of officers around who are not above tazing people for fun. I mean, even after a perpetrator says ok, I surrender, they might still go ahead and do it. I know human nature. Some people just love to see others suffer. Just hate it so much