Hi everyone, my name is Ally.

I didn’t know whether this question belonged in homework or not so I decided to place it in off topic. I’ll try to make this a short as possible and I appreciate all the help I can get. I tried to ask a professor at school for help but he told me he doesn’t have time for students that aren’t in his class, and if I want help join his class next semester (I won’t). I read through most of the chapters in the ebook here and I’m even more confused now about electric circuitry.
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Basically I’m writing a sci-fi story for my creative writing college class and I thought I had circuits and their electric shocks all down, then I was doing some additional research, came across some info on Wikipedia, and my head exploded. One day I hope to publish this work, and it would be completely embarrassing if my research was all wrong. I won’t bore you with everything so I’ll just refer to the two characters as Hero and Villain.

Just a little background that is crucial to the scene is where the hero and villain are. They are both in a living, alien spacecraft where the floor is adipose tissue (fat, which I’ve read is a poor conductor of electricity, or in this case, not a conductor at all), but it’s a layer that is protecting the ships neural circuits and neurons underneath. Both the Hero and Villian are wearing suits that are essentially an extension of their skin(but protects them from what would probably kill us), so their resistance to electric shock is increased, but it’s not impenetrable.
So this is basically a story board of the scene.

This is what I previously had, and believe it is all wrong.

Hero charges villain. Villain raises hand and a crystal he has in his hand forms a dome shaped force field with electric currents around himself(maybe and electromagnetic force field. I’m struggling to understand that thing, too). Hero bounces off shield, and feels no shock. Hero charges again and punches the shield (this time he leans into it and keeps pressing, trying to push through). He still wouldn’t feel a shock because he doesn’t complete the circuit right? because the adipose tissue he is standing on isn’t a conductor.
Villain expands force field and some voltage and current, which is just enough for the Hero to start feeling its effects. Hero’s skin starts to burn on his hand. (I believed it would at least start to burn him).

This is where things heats up, and I fear I went completely wrong.

Hero throws both hands against the shield in an attempt to break through. Villain counters by expanding the shield, and increasing its voltage, and current again. Hero is pushed back and the layer of adipose tissue halts him because it scrunches at his feet, but now he is stuck in-between the two. The amps in his body are now enough that he can’t let go, part of the force field bends into his hand, but he still fails to break through. The electric current now flows from arm to arm and across the Hero’s chest, affecting his heart. (I read later about parallel circuits, I previously thought this was a macroshock. Could it actually be a macroshock if the current was really high? Also, would the current even go across his chest?)
Underneath the suit, the Hero’s skin starts to burn, and the suit begins to smolder. Cardiac muscles in his heart also burn and the electric current wreaks havoc and he goes into ventricular fibrillation.

This where the hero gets lucky.
Blood stomps pumping from his heart, and since the force field is trying to push him back still, his weak left arm fails(No oxygen, no energy) before his right and his left clavicle breaks and severs a nerve in his shoulder, which cuts off electrical currents to his left arm. So his left arm becomes paralyzed and drops from the shield. The suit aids Hero’s immune system and he recovers from most of the damage, especially his heart. The current now doesn’t complete any circuit so the hero is okay.

That’s how I had it previously written, but this is now how I’m planning to make it with all the information I’ve learned, but I’m still mightily confused. If your still here reading thank you.

Hero charges Villain and hero bounces off the electric force field. (Hero doesn’t feel any shock). Hero punches shield and leans in again. Still no shock, or burn due to his suits resistance. Am I right so far? Villain expands force field and increases voltage. Hero gets pushed back, the adipose tissue scrunches at his feet, but this time his foot breaks through and touches the ships neural circuits underneath (This will complete a circuit, right? If not, I can add that the ship has intestines that are going through a portal, where they touch the ground on a planet. Or does the circuit still have to make it back to the crystal?) Electric current flows from hero’s right hand down to right foot, and his skin starts to burn. Hero then mistakenly puts both hands up and current flows through his chest, and villain increases the voltage and locks him in so he can’t let go of the force field anymore. Hero goes into ventricular fibrillation and left arm then weakens and paralyzes and drops from shield. The current would then flow back from his right arm to his foot, but the current is still burning his skin, and affecting some organs.

From there on the hero kind of pushes through.

I understand this is a lot so if you have any questions please feel free to ask. I also understand that the Villain’s positing in the ship also affects the circuit, but I’m hoping to make it so he can’t feel the effects of the electricity somehow. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope to hear from you soon. I know beggars can’t be choosers, but if you do respond please help explain your answer to me. This info is really intriguing and that’s why I decided to put it in the book. Thanks.
Ally.

 

Interesting, I don't think we've ever had a writer come here for fact checking before. I'll defer to people with more general knowledge but I think you'll have some corrections coming.

 

The thing about sci-fi is that just about anything is possible. Does it have to be an electrical force field? It could be some alien energy field that could work similarly to an electrical force field, but does not have to fit with real physics. Not to mention, an electromagnetic force field would not stop a blow from a person, and would not convert to electrical current when contacted.

I'm sorry to burst your bubble. You've got a fantastic action scene here, and I think you've got a future in writing, for sure. But if you're hoping for real physics, I'd suggest working with something that nobody could actually prove wrong, i.e. alien energy fields

Good luck--I hope things go well. Keep us posted!
Regards,
Matt

 

Thanks for the kind words. It can definitly be an alien artifact, it actually is a weaponized crystal band. The thing is the hero's suit really is just powered by a catalyst that makes his cells super efficient. So i want to display a macroshock loop across his chest, the injuries, and then recover process as logical as possible. And yeah i'll drop the electromagnetic part. It will just be an electric force field.

 

Thanks for the kind words. It can definitly be an alien artifact, it actually is a weaponized crystal band. The thing is the hero's suit really is just powered by a catalyst that makes his cells super efficient. So i want to display a macroshock loop across his chest, the injuries, and then recover process as logical as possible. And yeah i'll drop the electromagnetic part. It will just be an electric force field.

Okay, sounds good. That's something else I don't understand though. Are you saying that current flows across the Hero's chest when both arms are in the force field? The problem I see with that is that in order for current to flow, the voltage potential on one arm would have to be higher than on the other arm. If both arms are on the force field, I don't imagine there would be any difference in voltage potential between them. If the hero was touching a grounded object with one arm, it may be plausible.

Regards

 

@ DerStrom,you staying up late reviewing sci-fi

 

The force field could not be of uniform potential, and thus have alternating current flow between his arms.

Another thing I 'd like to add: I believe that human muscles can't be drained that fast of "fuel". If a fist was shocked in a manner that made it clench, it wouldn't ever let go.

 

@ DerStrom,you staying up late reviewing sci-fi

I'm up late working, so I thought I'd take a little break and review some sci-fi

The force field could not be of uniform potential, and thus have alternating current flow between his arms.

I can't imagine the potential difference would be enough to cause a shock though....?

 

Why not? For a electrical field to be strong enough to inhibit physical access inside of it, there can be potential difference of hundreds of volts in its surface.

 

Why not? For a electrical field to be strong enough to inhibit physical access inside of it, there can be potential difference of hundreds of volts in its surface.

Hmm, I suppose that makes sense. Like I said, the beauty of good Sci-Fi is that nobody can disprove it

 

The force field could not be of uniform potential, and thus have alternating current flow between his arms.

Another thing I 'd like to add: I believe that human muscles can't be drained that fast of "fuel". If a fist was shocked in a manner that made it clench, it wouldn't ever let go.

Okay, so the locking onto the force field with both hands and feeling a current across his chest is out the window. I can live with that. And you're also saying that if his fist was shocked into a clenched state, his arm being paralyzed wouldn't be enough to let him go? also, I should have been more clear, I actually don't have the hero running out of energy, he just doesn't have the strength to hold the shield at bay and his left clavicle breaks.

I'm up late working, so I thought I'd take a little break and review some sci-fi



I can't imagine the potential difference would be enough to cause a shock though....?

Why not? For a electrical field to be strong enough to inhibit physical access inside of it, there can be potential difference of hundreds of volts in its surface.

I didn't really get this last part.

Again, I want to thank you guys for helping me out.

I'm thinking that I'm going to have hero get pushed back into a wall, reach back with his hand against the wall for support. Then Villain expands force field and hero's hand goes straight through the layer of fat and clenches one of the ships neural circuit. that way a current would flow across his chest, and he would go into ventricular fibrillation. His arm would then become paralyzed, and the ship would heal the rupture of fat and push his hand back out of the wall. and the current would then seize in his body.

 

Often times, when a someone grabs hold of an electrical wire, the electrical shock signals interact with the muscle nerves of the hand and make the fist clench unconsciously. The victim then cannot let go of the grab, unless the power is shut.

This is what I imagined that happened in your case. Of course, this doesn't have to happen in your case and your hero can just feel a painful rush of electricity, just like when you touch a fridge with a bad ground x100. There's a point when you have to give in.

In the second quote, I said that there is a theoretical possibility that your hero gets electrocuted only when he touches the field with both his hands.

 

Often times, when a someone grabs hold of an electrical wire, the electrical shock signals interact with the muscle nerves of the hand and make the fist clench unconsciously. The victim then cannot let go of the grab, unless the power is shut.

This is what I imagined that happened in your case. Of course, this doesn't have to happen in your case and your hero can just feel a painful rush of electricity, just like when you touch a fridge with a bad ground x100. There's a point when you have to give in.

In the second quote, I said that there is a theoretical possibility that your hero gets electrocuted only when he touches the field with both his hands.

I'm just going to rid the part with both hands on the shield. But what about my new scenario where he is clenching a neural circuit in the ships wall with his lefthand and the shield with his right, and the current is traveling across his chest.

Let's say this scenario completes the circuit.

The shield then expands and breaks his left clavicle and severs his nerve(branchial plexus nerve, which leads to paralysis of his left arm in real life). Wouldn't this cause the electric current to seize traveling down his left arm since the nerve is no longer connected, and transfering electrochemical signals to his hand, which would allow him to let go of the neural circuit in the wall. Right? Then the circuit would also be broken, and his right hand would let go? Or would they still be activating.

I remember seeing some diagrams and videos online where there are only two ways of getting someone out of a macroshock loop or something similar, cut off the power source, or pushing them away with wood. Wouldn't the shield expanding act as the outside force in someway here?

Thanks for the replies ass well, and patience with me.

 

I'm just going to rid the part with both hands on the shield. But what about my new scenario where he is clenching a neural circuit in the ships wall with his lefthand and the shield with his right, and the current is traveling across his chest.

Let's say this scenario completes the circuit.

The shield then expands and breaks his left clavicle and severs his nerve(branchial plexus nerve, which leads to paralysis of his left arm in real life). Wouldn't this cause the electric current to seize traveling down his left arm since the nerve is no longer connected, and transfering electrochemical signals to his hand, which would allow him to let go of the neural circuit in the wall. Right? Then the circuit would also be broken, and his right hand would let go? Or would they still be activating.

I remember seeing some diagrams and videos online where there are only two ways of getting someone out of a macroshock loop or something similar, cut off the power source, or pushing them away with wood. Wouldn't the shield expanding act as the outside force in someway here?

Thanks for the replies ass well, and patience with me.

Usually when someone can't let go of an electricity source, it is due to muscle spasms and contractions. It has nothing to do with nerves, so I don't believe a disconnected nerve would cause him to let go. Then again, I'm no medical expert. This might be a good question to ask a doctor

 

I see what you mean. But yeah, the nerves are what sends the impusle to muscles to contract and relax. That's what research I have understood. It's like someone who gets in a car accident, severs a nerve in their back, and can no longer walk because their brain signals are no longer sending signals. This electrical stuff has gone over my head.

 

I see what you mean. But yeah, the nerves are what sends the impusle to muscles to contract and relax. That's what research I have understood. It's like someone who gets in a car accident, severs a nerve in their back, and can no longer walk because their brain signals are no longer sending signals. This electrical stuff has gone over my head.

I understand what you're saying, and I suppose it's plausible. It just doesn't seem like damaging a nerve would cause one to let go of a power source. I always thought the external current was "taking over" the electrical signals the brain sends to the muscles. I didn't think the current went to the brain, which then told the muscles to contract....

Have you talked to a professional doctor about this idea?

 

Often times, when a someone grabs hold of an electrical wire, the electrical shock signals interact with the muscle nerves of the hand and make the fist clench unconsciously. The victim then cannot let go of the grab, unless the power is shut.

This is what I imagined that happened in your case. Of course, this doesn't have to happen in your case and your hero can just feel a painful rush of electricity, just like when you touch a fridge with a bad ground x100. There's a point when you have to give in.

In the second quote, I said that there is a theoretical possibility that your hero gets electrocuted only when he touches the field with both his hands.

My friends grandfather was working under his house and accidentally grabbed a main and couldn't let go. We had to nearly break his arm hitting him with a broom stick to get him off it. Amazingly he just shook it off and took a 10 min break.

 

I understand what you're saying, and I suppose it's plausible. It just doesn't seem like damaging a nerve would cause one to let go of a power source. I always thought the external current was "taking over" the electrical signals the brain sends to the muscles. I didn't think the current went to the brain, which then told the muscles to contract....

Have you talked to a professional doctor about this idea?

You're correct. I should have known this because I've been going to physical therapy. The electricity is skipping the neural pathway and exciting the motor neurons directly.

I think his clavicle will still break, and the ships immune system will kick in and push his hand back out of the wall, disconnecting the circuit. Then the electric current will stop flowing through his body, right?

 

You're correct. I should have known this because I've been going to physical therapy. The electricity is skipping the neural pathway and exciting the motor neurons directly.

I think his clavicle will still break, and the ships immune system will kick in and push his hand back out of the wall, disconnecting the circuit. Then the electric current will stop flowing through his body, right?

Provided the floor is still non-conductive, yes

Sounds like you're on the right track!

 

My friends grandfather was working under his house and accidentally grabbed a main and couldn't let go. We had to nearly break his arm hitting him with a broom stick to get him off it. Amazingly he just shook it off and took a 10 min break.

That's dangerous man. One time a guy came to fix the cable tv in my house and he was playing with the wires out back, froze for a second and I was like what's wrong. He's like I just shocked myself, but obviously not as bad as what happened to your grandfather.