If an electric power line fell into the Ocean, how far would the "Stun/Kill" current run through the water?
93370
Under average conditions a power line carries current to \nan appliance designed for the voltage . Cross country power lines operate for supply to cities at very high voltages and if dropped into the salt water would complete the circuit to ground overloading the circuit causing a circut breaker to disconnect .if the breaker fails the \n"short circuit" would overload the supply equipment and\nburn it out. The ultimate breaker may also be a fuse.
947452
Not likely, the current isn't strong enough.
89618
Because the ocean is really big.  And a charge that carries enough juice to zap all the creatures would need to be a lot bigger than a typical lightning bolt charge..  When it hits a person with a direct hit has a very low likelyhood of actually killing that person.  Think about it like electricity.  One lightnning strike is like sticking your wet finger into an outlet....ok now if everyone in a city where to stick their finger into a wet socket that's like 500,000 lightnining bolts.  You'd have to drop a nuclear power plant into the water to kill all the fish.
369302
Q: Is it safer to swim in salt water than fresh water if lightning is in the area?\n\nA: It is definitely NOT safe to swim when lightning is in the area in any type of water. Even if current lightning is a few miles away, lightning can pop up in new parts of the storm very quickly. Salt water conducts electricity, which means that it can easily travel through the water toward you. The lightning current may spread out in all directions and dissipate within 20 feet or so, but don’t bet your life on how close the strike will be. As the highest object on the water, you may be the most likely target. \n\nAnswers archive: Lightning safety and survival\nhttp://www.usatoday.com/weather/resources/askjack/archives-lightning-safety.htm\n\n-------------\n\n The voltages involved in lightning are so high that even materials that would normally be considered non-conductive become conductors, including the human body. The voltages are so massive that if they start to travel through a boat's structure - say through its mast - then meet with high resistance (for instance, the hull skin) the current discharge, in its attempt to reach ground, may simply blow a hole in the non-conductive barrier. The safety conscious Captain should make sure that his vessel is properly protected. Reference should be made in detail to the standards for lightning protection as set forth by the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC) and the job should be performed by a licensed marine electrician.\n\nCone of Protection from Lightning - Faraday's Cage\nhttp://www.boatsafe.com/nauticalknowhow/lightning.htm\n\n------------------------------\n\nElectrical current can easily travel through them and then to you.\n\nLightning protection tips\nhttp://www.aroundcentralflorida.com/features/lightning/
214117
Electricity of any kind, including that generating lightning, is caused by a potential difference in charge between two object-in this case, between the water in the ocean and the storm, which generates ionic imbalance.  The lightning transfers charge from one to the other, equalizing it.  Thus, the charge from the lightning disperses into the water-within a few 10s of feet of the strike, even a large lightning bolt will have dispersed the electrical charge sufficiently that it would not kill fish.  Seawater, though a good conducter, in this case is not conducting the electricity anywhere-it is the terminal acceptor of electical charge.
894097
This is what causes a surface current. \nAs winds blow across the ocean, there is friction between the wind and the water. Some of the energy of the wind is transferred to the water to make waves which travel across the surface of the ocean and some of the energy is transferred into surface currents.\nWhen currents run into something, like a continent, they must change direction. The current must turn right or left to form boundary currents or flow below the surface of the ocean to form a subsurface current.
274197
salt water..., oh..., did you know that pure 100% water conducts no electricity at all..., but it is almost an impossible state to get it in..., even in nuclear and cogeneration plants that use high pressure dry stream.., they can only get water to maybe 3 to 5 points per billion pure..., and thats still conducts electric current..., and when it gets around 10 to 11 parts per billion..., they need to clean it again...
558092
it won't "drown" per se, because it isn't an air-breathing animal. But, you can make it suffer anoxia-lack of oxygen, which is what happens to an air-breathing animal when it drowns.  Though the gills work most efficently with water rushing in a certain direction, I doubt you could actually kill a shark this way, since eddy currents, etc, would allow water through to a certain extent.
563904
well if you are exactly in the middle, then any way you go will take just as long right?\n\nthe fastest way out of there would be jumping out cutting your leg and wait for a shark.. you'll be dead, but not in the middle of the ocean anymore
694434
By the electrician hand book the danger current flow is a small window of 100 to 200 Mil amps. any thing less than 100 u may hurt yourself,and above 200 ma. u will receive burns. In the window above it starts the heart to flutter.
160956
Yes, people have been killed by the electric shock from electric eels. A typical adult electric eel can generate up to 600 volts. That's enough to deliver 1 full amp of electrical current, and people can be electrocuted from far less than that.
744305
Stray voltages/currents between grounded metal parts is caused by a difference in resistivity. Usually, it is because the ground rod has a greater resistivity than the metal parts connected to the water/drainage/gas system.\nAgain as has been said on other occasions in this forum, Ohm's Law comes into play..... Current is equal to voltage divided by resistance. So if there is a differing resistance between the two systems AND there is a low resistance path betweeen the electrical wiring and earth on an appliance, current will flow (continuously) to the frame of the appliance and to ground. So if current is flowing to ground and the appliance ground has a higher resistance to earth than the ground of the adjacent metal parts there will be a difference in potential between the two. This is often felt as a tingling sensation --- The reason why it doesn't trip the breaker is that the current flow is lower than the trip setting of the ELCB (earth leakage circuit breaker). It does not have anything to do with "Back EMF" back EMF is the voltage generated in a dc motor that limits the amount of current that can pass through the armature windings.......\n\nIf you have this problem, GET AN AUTHORIZED ELECTRICIAN TO INVESTIGATE AND CORRECT THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY. It certainly is a dangerous situation that can cause death.\n\nSource: Electrical Engineer (ret) with 45+ yrs experience.
953190
Water is a poor conductor of electricity.
611576
Into the abyss of course........:)\n\n*runs to the blog to go copy her answer from there*\n\nLovely picture by the way, but it has scared me from ever boarding the Mayflower. Thank goodness I'll never have to. I would have looked horrendous in the pilgrim shoes anyway. But enough rambling......let me get to the question.\n\nThe ships would all fall into the abyss. What if....the fall was neverending? What if they just kept falling with no where to land? would the water keep running too? would it lead to another land? Is this where "neverland" is? Or do we fall and fall into a nothingness? Or will we fall and land on the River Styx? \n\nWe know the ocean water has to return other wise the earth would be drained and before long draught would be the next issue after global warming. So my thoughts are crazy but that the water falls and falls and falls until it hits a warp that sucks it back up and into the earth yet again similar to the way a fountain works. A never ending cycle. But if so........what could possibly be at the bottom of the abyss??? One shall never know. *sigh*
704271
No, unless they are at the water surface at the point of impact or a few feet away. The reason is that electrical charge weakens, (dissipates),  dramatically fast with distance, in the water.\nDan.
25752
The water will cause short circuits, and if you are unlucky you can be the object which shortens the circuit.\n\nThe proper sequence ought to be first turn of the main switches and fuses, then go and salvage what electrical appliances there are.
263815
The electric eel (Electrophorus electricus) does not produce a _small_ electric shock, but a strong and dangerous one.\nHowever, there are several species of freshwater fish that are related to electric eels (they belong to the same order Gymnotiformes) that produce weaker electric pulses; these are the knifefishes (genera Gymnotus, Ramphichthys, Eigenmannia). \n\nIn addition, there are several fishes that can produce electric fields and eventually shocks: all true rays (genus Raja and others), torpedo rays (genera Torpedo, Discopyge, etc), the electric catfish (Malapterurus electricus), electric stargazers (genus Astroscopus), the elephantnoses (Mormyridae), etc.