On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:51:24 -0700, "Don Kelly"
wrote:


"Archimedes' Lever" wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 13 Oct 2009 07:59:28 -0700 (PDT), windcrest
wrote:

Edison went to great political lengths to discourage AC, even publicly
electrocuting animals to show how AC causes heart failure where the
equivalent DC voltage would not.


But he was wrong, and DC kills as well. Including the onset of
ventricular fibrillation.
-----
The sensitivity of humans and other mammals, with regard to frequency
happens to peak in the 50-60Hz range. Edison took advantage of this and
Tesla countered with high frequency, high voltage discharges, saying, in
effect, "this is AC, perfectly safe" Both lied (whether they knew it or
not and the not was shown much later) with profit as a motive. Other
hazards such as arcing at switches or poor contacts, worse with DC, were
ignored.


We need big, engine block sized solid state switches. :-)