Post by Lokifan on May 4, 2014 17:50:07 GMT
I watched "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" last night, and saw a movie myth that I think is ripe for busting.
Does sticking a cattle prod into a cell door cause sparks to fly from every cell in the complex?
Problems with this:
1. Isn't the electricity just going to arc between the tips of the prod and the door, and not cause sparks 50 feet away?
2. Isn't the power of such a device so weak that it could't even carry that far through the metal (assuming it didn't get grounded)?
The way electricity performs in movies is usually ridiculous (but very theatrical). There are other myths to bust here as well. For example, I have never seen an electrified fence work like they do in film--where the entire mesh is electrified. In reality, I've always thought that only a few wires strung on insulators could hold a charge, and the rest was regular fencing.
Does sticking a cattle prod into a cell door cause sparks to fly from every cell in the complex?
Problems with this:
1. Isn't the electricity just going to arc between the tips of the prod and the door, and not cause sparks 50 feet away?
2. Isn't the power of such a device so weak that it could't even carry that far through the metal (assuming it didn't get grounded)?
The way electricity performs in movies is usually ridiculous (but very theatrical). There are other myths to bust here as well. For example, I have never seen an electrified fence work like they do in film--where the entire mesh is electrified. In reality, I've always thought that only a few wires strung on insulators could hold a charge, and the rest was regular fencing.
