Lois & Clark Forums Forums Fan Fiction Fanfic Related FFO: Old electrical buildings

Okay, I wrote a great trap for Superman (don't worry, you'll find out later what it is as long as you read)involving a hostage that's in an old electric building. The man has been tied with old wires.

But I can't figure out how badly the man should be hurt! If he was actually tied with electricial wires STILL IN USE, I would assume very badly, because this would be current elecriticy. So it would be like getting electuted by one of those power stations. But these wires aren't supposed to be used anymore; that's why it's an old building.

But couldn't there be some electricity still left in there? I mean were talking about wires that once held a lot of electricity, not just the ones you have at home.

So would the man be unconscious? Just hurt by the wires? Dead? Just in a lot of pain?

I may have backed myself in a corner, here, and I can probably think of another way to trap him if I need to. But I like this one, particularly because it would be out of town. (Where the authorities couldn't easily catch the villian.)

So anyone have ideas? Thanks in advance.

But couldn't there still be some electricity

Sorry; it doesn't work that way. Electricity is either there or it's not. Wires don't store current the way batteries do. So if you want an injury you need to hook up a power source and make sure that the wires form a complete circuit.

Elisabeth

Coils of wire can form inductors... which can generate electrical current when a magnet moves through them or store a limited amount of energy in a magnetic field... but I'm not sure what the lifespan of such storage would be or what the potential power of a discharge would be... but its fairly simple to make one... a wire wrapped around a nail would technically be a crude inductor...

However, is your man friend or foe? If friend... he could be connected to an external generator at a low voltage or current.. and someone with medical knowledge can pick up for me from there... or if he's foe he could fake it... and something happens to turn something on...

On the other hand, we're talking about a world where an alien can look human and fly, a red rock transfered his powers and the cure for ingestion of a radioactive rock was to step in a nuclear reactor... so you can probably argue for some slightly wonky physics, ~.^

It is simple to make an electromagnet. However the wiring could not be insulated and it would be necessary to use a heavy-duty magnet to do some damage. It would be highly unlikely that an old electrical building would not use insulated wire.

My point is that the kidnappers would have to fashion their own weapons and couldn't just happen upon them. They would need to supply a power source, probably stronger than the average electromagnet, and make sure that the electicity forms a complete circuit.


Elisabeth

Or....

The old electical building is being used as a front for InterGang and the bad guys don't know this (or maybe they do. ) so there are plenty of wires with plenty of electicity.

However, if the wires are well insulated, then the victim wouldn't be in any danger.

James

Sorry, induction is a red herring - The power would be gone a fraction of a second after the generator stopped. And you need insulated wire to make an inductor, bare wire just gives you a short circuit.

If you want a more plausible way to get electricity into the building it's pretty simple - while the generator might be shut down, the cables that originally linked it to the electricity grid might still be there. It's VERY unlikely but mistakes occasionally get made. So if someone pulls the wrong switch maybe power comes in from outside.

Though I'm not clear how the power would get to someone tied up with wire - it'd be awkward to tie someone up with a cable that's still plugged in to the mains, so surely the wires would be disconnected.

Thanks, Marcus. My science textbook must have an error, telling me that we need bare wires. It explains why I can never get what's supposed to be a simple experiment working right. I always thought my magnets were just too weak.


Elisabeth