eli5 How does an Electric Eel shock you? Don’t you need to complete a circuit for the current to flow through you?

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If the Eel is the positive terminal, where’s the negative terminal? If you’re grounded by the water, would that mean the Eel can only shock you if you are in the water too? If the water is the final destination, why wouldn’t the current directly go from the Eel to the water? Why would it take a high resistance path through your body?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

>why would it take a high resistance path through your body?

Pure fresh water isn’t actually a creat conductor of electricity. Your body, being salty, conducts much better. That’s why animals in the water can get shocked by an eel.

That’s also why a dangling electric cord at a freshwater marina can be so dangerous — if you’re in the water anywhere near, the current would like to go through you to get to its opposite terminal.

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