cooking gas lighter, when touched to human body and pressed gives a mild electric shock, why? how a spark is produced when it’s knob is pressed? can similar technology be used to give fatal shocks to living beings?
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Michael Gmirkin - said
February 10 2011 @ 15:39
Well, most modern gas stoves use an electric spark to ignite the burner. And generally the spark will spark on all burners to make sure there’s no cross-leakage or whatever that might cause an explosion if it were to pool and then connect with a flame.
Basically when you push and/or turn the knob to a certain point, it completes a circuit and a spark (rather a series of sparks) is created, at the same time the gas starts to flow. This reduces mishaps of when people turned on the gas and then lit a match they’d get an explosive reaction from the gas (technically, on the older units, you’re supposed to light a match, put it by the burner, THEN turn on the gas and allow it to light; later they developed pilot lights, but they caused problems when they went out and gas pooled and explosions happened; subsequently most gas appliances have gone to electrical spark trigger ignition systems).
I assume that when you’re touching the wire used to ignite the burner, you’re completing the circuit (via your body, to the ground, unless you’re wearing insulating rubber-soled shoes), thus getting a "shock."
If you’re referring to those hand-held candle lighters, the same principle is used. A spark is generated when pressing the button, either by a tiny battery or by friction (static electricity or something). At the same time, pressing the button releases the compressed gas (butane, I think?). So, theoretically the spark and the butane coincide at the tip of the lighter and "light" the flammable gas. If you touch the tip to your finger, and press the button, the spark of electricity arcs to your finger, rather than into the gas. Thus the "shock."
And yes, similar technologies, on a larger scale are called Tasers or Tazers. They deliver a large electric shock designed to incapacitate someone by sending a shock through their nervous system causing their muscles to spasm and seize up. Sometime it’ll knock them out too. If too high a voltage is applied it can cause permanent damage or a heart attack (stops heart; same way that electric paddles restart a heart).
Same technology used in cattle prods, basically. They give the cattle a shock on the rear to get them moving…
yooperpooper - said
February 10 2011 @ 15:39
piezoelectric ceramic….search on it for details. strain generates charge separation (voltage). can generate high voltage but very low current so not dangerous unless you build it to be.