Im forever confused about the effects of DC and AC on the body. I was reading an article on Wikipedia and it said that DC cant pass through the cell membrane…why is this?
Also, when talking about AC, the cell membrane acts like a condensator and it can accumulate electrical energy (has capacitance). I dont really understand how this generates heat? Is this because when the AC changes direction, the gradient formed released as heat? Also, is there a flow of ions thru the membrane? Because Ive also heard that AC doesnt have that property on body.
In: Biology
the heating comes from the flow of electrons. think of it as friction between the conductor (body) and the electrons.
dc current can degrade your cells like electrolysis does when e.g. electroplating. some materials are taken from point A and get deposited on point B. your body doesnt like that in the long term.
ac current lets your muscles and nerves go haywire. if you put your fingers in the electric outlet (don’t do this) your heart may contract according to the mains frequency, resulting in venticular fibrillation.
but ac isnt ac. the frequency plays a huge role in terms of harm. tasers for example have a higher frequency and higher voltage than mains, but are less dangerous regarding venticular fibrillation.
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