# electric chair **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 6, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044 "2014-03-06T20:23:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/41 "2014-03-07T22:54:09Z")
I’m thinking something like a wax museum or horror museum prop is most likely. Either movie or stage is possible, though. Until/when/if the OP decides to come back, overlook the good-natured jokes s/he spawned and fill in some details, though… There’s a lot of that going around, in’t there? ---
**Author:** ![Canadjun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/76d3ee/32.png) [@Canadjun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Canadjun)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/42 "2014-03-07T23:00:21Z")
Wondering if, perhaps, the OP means that he has either a picture or a movie of an execution using an electric chair (I realize “movie” doesn’t make sense given the time period mentioned, but just trying out my psychic skills to probe his brain for the actual question). If that is the case, then **kaf1954** , you need to post a link to the picture or movie (you can’t post actual images on this board; you will need to save it somewhere publicly accessible if it isn’t already, and post a link to it). ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/43 "2014-03-07T23:21:28Z")
Ok, since we are awaiting the OP, a question. Would it be practical to build a functional one from the materials available from your local home improvement store? I am not suggesting that anyone should, just in theory can it be done? Seems simple enough; chair, restraints, electrodes, wire and a power source. An array of capacitors to get the voltage up high enough, would that do it? To be clear, I am not suggesting that anyone do this. **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/44 "2014-03-07T23:28:40Z")
> [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > Seems simple enough; chair, restraints, electrodes, wire and a power source. An array of capacitors to get the voltage up high enough, would that do it? And a sponge; a \*wet \*sponge. Don’t forget to wet the sponge. ---
**Author:** ![Capt\_Kirk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@Capt\_Kirk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt_Kirk)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2014, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/45 "2014-03-07T23:42:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > And a sponge; a \*wet \*sponge. Don’t forget to wet the sponge. IIRC the chair works just fine without it, an even less desirable experience for the chair occupant and gathered audience but still effective. :eek: **Capt** ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/46 "2014-03-08T00:41:03Z")
> [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > Ok, since we are awaiting the OP, a question. > > Would it be practical to build a functional one from the materials available from your local home improvement store? > > I am not suggesting that anyone should, just in theory can it be done? Seems simple enough; chair, restraints, electrodes, wire and a power source. An array of capacitors to get the voltage up high enough, would that do it? > > To be clear, I am not suggesting that anyone do this. > > **Capt** Electric chairs use 10 amps at 2000 V–way more power than you can get out of a home wall socket. I think that much power is overkill, though. You could probably make it energy efficient enough to do it at home, especially if you jabbed the subject with pointy electrodes rather than putting them on the surface of the skin. A ready supply of experimental subjects would be really helpful, too. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/47 "2014-03-08T02:38:43Z")
Capacitors won’t help you increase voltage-- For that you need transformers. What capacitors are good for, though, is increasing current: You store up charge slowly, with whatever current you can manage at your desired voltage, and then you release it all at once. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/48 "2014-03-08T03:32:44Z")
All I know is some folks are revolted by, have resistance to and find shocking watt is charged in our ohms for the use of electric current. But I’m thinking the OP means he has a _photo_ of an early execution by electric chair but is not sure if the event was real or just a staged demonstration and wants some info on the chair in the picture. Since the OP can’t see fit to explain his confusing question, that’s all I got. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/49 "2014-03-08T04:40:17Z")
Actually, I need to take back my earlier post: You could get high voltage from capacitors, by charging them up in parallel and then re-wiring them in series. Probably less practical than using transformers, though. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/50 "2014-03-08T06:50:31Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Capacitors won’t help you increase voltage-- For that you need transformers. What capacitors are good for, though, is increasing current: You store up charge slowly, with whatever current you can manage at your desired voltage, and then you release it all at once. I’m sure I’ve told this story before. I worked with a guy who had a friend or roommate who was very fastidious. The guy was a little compulsive about keeping the kitchen clean. There were mice in the house, and all but one were dispatched with snap traps. The Survivor would not be killed or caught. Being an engineering student, the FOAF built a better mousetrap. He put wire mesh on the kitchen floor, and connected it to one side of an ‘industrial strength’ capacitor that he charged with a car battery. The other side of the capacitor had a wire attached, which ran to the ceiling and hung down over the middle of the sire mesh on the floor. Some sort of bait was put at the end. Sometime during the night, the FOAF was awakened by a loud pop; but he didn’t get out of bed. The mouse had completed the circuit, and it could wait. The FOAF went into the kitchen in the morning. The capacitor might have been a tad too strong, as there were now-dried mouse bits splattered all over the kitchen. At least, that’s the story related to me by my friend who saw it. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/51 "2014-03-08T13:15:43Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Actually, I need to take back my earlier post: You could get high voltage from capacitors, by charging them up in parallel and then re-wiring them in series. Probably less practical than using transformers, though. There’s an easier way than that. There is a ladder-like wiring pattern for capacitors and diodes that simultaneously does rectification and voltage multiplying. IIRC each capacitor-and-diode rung you add to the ladder increases the DC voltage by about the AC voltage. > **[Voltage multiplier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voltage_multiplier)** > > A voltage multiplier is an electrical circuit that converts AC electrical power from a lower voltage to a higher DC voltage, typically using a network of capacitors and diodes. > Voltage multipliers can be used to generate a few volts for electronic appliances, to millions of volts for purposes such as high-energy physics experiments and lightning safety testing. The most common type of voltage multiplier is the half-wave series multiplier, also called the Villard cascade (but actually invented by... ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/52 "2014-03-08T15:37:46Z")
> [@Capt\_Kirk](#): > > Ok, since we are awaiting the OP, a question. > > Would it be practical to build a functional one from the materials available from your local home improvement store? > > I am not suggesting that anyone should, just in theory can it be done? Seems simple enough; chair, restraints, electrodes, wire and a power source. An array of capacitors to get the voltage up high enough, would that do it? > > To be clear, I am not suggesting that anyone do this. > > **Capt** The first step is to take a look at the [patent application](http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00587649&SectionNum=1&IDKey=0946B7B4F569&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526p=1%2526u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PALL%2526S1=0587649.PN.%2526OS=PN/587649%2526RS=PN/587649). It’s Farad vanced of anything I could build. I would have to contact an expert and charge him with the task. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/53 "2014-03-08T15:38:01Z")
Why would large amperage cause the mouse to explode? Even if all its blood and liquids boiled a fraction of a second before its skin? I smell a separate GQ… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/54 "2014-03-08T17:08:17Z")
I’ve figured it out… the OP decided to test his acquisition. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/55 "2014-03-08T17:51:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I’m sure I’ve told this story before. > > I worked with a guy who had a friend or roommate who was very fastidious. The guy was a little compulsive about keeping the kitchen clean. There were mice in the house, and all but one were dispatched with snap traps. The Survivor would not be killed or caught. Being an engineering student, the FOAF built a better mousetrap. He put wire mesh on the kitchen floor, and connected it to one side of an ‘industrial strength’ capacitor that he charged with a car battery. The other side of the capacitor had a wire attached, which ran to the ceiling and hung down over the middle of the sire mesh on the floor. Some sort of bait was put at the end. > > Sometime during the night, the FOAF was awakened by a loud pop; but he didn’t get out of bed. The mouse had completed the circuit, and it could wait. The FOAF went into the kitchen in the morning. The capacitor might have been a tad too strong, as there were now-dried mouse bits splattered all over the kitchen. > > At least, that’s the story related to me by my friend who saw it. That wouldn’t work, at least not as described. I used to have an old capacitor out of a mainframe computer power supply. It was about twice the size of a soda can. When I first got it I was an engineering student, and just to see exactly what would happen I charged it with a fairly small 12 volt charger, then once it was charged I shorted the capacitor terminals with a screwdriver. It blew the tip off of the screwdriver and arc-welded the screwdriver to the terminals of the capacitor, though it was a fairly poor weld. I could pick up the capacitor and shake it around just by holding the screwdriver, but all I had to do was hold on to the capacitor and pull the screwdriver to separate the two. So you can get a lot of energy out of a large capacitor, but that was a dead short though metal. The problem with the above scenario is that the voltage is too low to get any significant current flowing through the mouse. What is described is basically a bug zapper, but it’s powered by a car battery and a capacitor, which won’t work. Now maybe the engineering student built a charge pump circuit to boost up the voltage so that it would charge the capacitor to a fairly high voltage. That would kill a mouse, and would probably make a big bang when it discharged, but I can’t picture it actually blowing the mouse to bits. That would require a great deal of energy, and an extremely large capacitor. At the very least there’s some exaggeration going on here. Getting somewhat back on topic, electric chairs have the same basic problem as the mouse killer. You need to have a fairly high voltage to overcome the electrical resistance of the human body so that you get enough current flowing to reliably kill the person in the chair. For that reason, electric chairs generally operate somewhere in the 2,000 to 4,000 volt range as anything lower won’t reliably do the job. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/56 "2014-03-08T20:03:07Z")
There was an old joke: Minister: Is there anything I can do for you before they turn on the current, my son? Condemned Man: Sure, hold my hand. Question- suppose someone did hold the prisoner’s hand. Would he necessarily receive a lethal shock? Or if the minister was not grounded efficiently, would there be very little current passing through him? ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/57 "2014-03-08T21:40:44Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > The first step is to take a look at the [patent application](http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?docid=00587649&SectionNum=1&IDKey=0946B7B4F569&HomeUrl=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect2=PTO1%2526Sect2=HITOFF%2526p=1%2526u=/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html%2526r=1%2526f=G%2526l=50%2526d=PALL%2526S1=0587649.PN.%2526OS=PN/587649%2526RS=PN/587649). It’s Farad vanced of anything I could build. I would have to contact an expert and charge him with the task. Great Autocorrect. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/58 "2014-03-08T21:58:08Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Question- suppose someone did hold the prisoner’s hand. Would he necessarily receive a lethal shock? Or if the minister was not grounded efficiently, would there be very little current passing through him? I doubt that he would receive a lethal shock. You basically have two paths for the current to flow. In through the head of the guy in the chair, through his neck and body, and then it splits, with some going through his arm and into the minister’s arm, through the minister’s body and legs, through his shoes, through the concrete floor, and into earth ground. The rest of the current continues through the guy in the chair’s body, into his leg, through the conductor strapped to his ankle, through the metal wires, back to the electrical ground (which is connected to earth ground). Exactly how big of a shock the minister would get would depend on how conductive the soles of his shoes are and how conductive the concrete floor is. Rough order of magnitude, I’d expect him to certainly be able to feel the shock, but it wouldn’t be enough current to cause him any real damage. He would get a shock well above the 5 mA “safe” level in most electrical standards, which could potentially cause his heart to go into fibrillation. This is extremely unlikely to happen, but also would have a very good chance of being fatal if it did happen. ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/59 "2014-03-08T22:09:50Z")
Yawn - someone wake me when the OP comes back and explains what he needs. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2014, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044/60 "2014-03-09T00:32:20Z")
> [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](#): > > Yawn - someone wake me when the OP comes back and explains what he needs. I suspect he thinks _we’re_ the stupid ones for not understanding his cryptic question. Might not bother with us peasants anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-chair/683044.md?page=4)