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In cartoons, it's pretty easy to tell when somebody's getting electrocuted: their skeleton flashes through their skin,
在动画片里，当一个人被电死时，相当容易辨别：他们的骨架透过皮肤一闪而过，
their hair sticks straight up, there's smoke everywhere, and maybe some electric sparks radiating out from their body.
他们的头发直直的竖起来，浑身冒烟而且或许还会有一些电火花从他们的身体内辐射出来。
But what actually happens when you’re shocked is much less flashy—and much more dangerous.
但真实情况是当你受到电击时，不会火光四射—并且会更加危险。
Technically, and thankfully, most of the cases we call "electrocutions" are actually electric shocks: an electric current running through a body.
技术上讲，大多数被称为“电死”的例子事实上就是触电：穿过身体的一束电流。
The word electrocution comes from a combination of the words "electric" and "execution", so it was specifically combined to describe death by electric shock.
电死这个词源于“电”和“死刑”两词的结合，所以电死特指触电而死。
Whether an electric shock becomes an electrocution depends on the nature of the current involved.
触电是否会变成电死取决于所含电流的本质。
A current is the flow of electric charge carried by electrons or ions, and our bodies are pretty responsive to them because they use currents all the time.
电流是电子或离子所带的电荷流，我们的身体对它们相当敏感，因为它们总是使用电流。
For example, tiny electric pulses from the movement of ions across membranes are what trigger neurons and allow me to move and be alive and talk to you right now.
例如，来自于穿过细胞膜的离子移动的微小电脉冲能够触发神经元并让我们行动、生活并且现在站在这里和你们讲话。
So when you're shocked, and a much stronger current passes through your body, the tissues it passes through can overreact to that gush of electricity.
所以当被电击时，更强大的电流穿过你的身体，其穿过的组织会对这种电流的涌出做出过度反应。
In very mild cases, you might only feel a slight tingle in your skin.
在电流微弱时，你可能仅感觉到皮肤上的微微刺痛。
But as things ramp up, the current can cause mild to severe burns, muscle contractions, or even seizures,
但随着电流增加，电流会造成温和至重度的烧伤、肌肉收缩或者甚至痉挛，
because nerves and muscles are getting overstimulated.
因为神经和肌肉被过度刺激。
The amount of current that's flowing is measured in amperes, and a current of only 20 milliamps can cause someone to lose control of their diaphragm and stop breathing.
流过的电流数量以安倍为单位进行计算，仅20毫安的电流能够导致一个人的横膈膜失控并停止呼吸。
And 100 milliamps can stop a heart.
100毫安就能让心脏停止跳动。
Now, more than 100 milliamps of current run through your phone charger, but touching its live wire won't kill you — not that I recommend you try it.
现在，超过100毫安的电流在你的手机充电器里流动，但触摸其通电电线不会致死—我并不是让你们去尝试。
It's not deadly because the amount of current in the wire isn't actually what matters.
这样不会致命，因为电线中电流的数量不是关键。
What matters is how much current gets into your body.
关键是流入你身体的电流有多少。
And that's influenced by two things: The voltage, which is the difference in electrical potential that's driving the current, and your body's resistance to the current.
影响电流的有两点：电压，驱动电流电势中的差异以及你身体对电流的抗力。
Basically, if the current is like water flowing through a pipe, the voltage would be the water pressure,
基本上如果电流像水一样在管道中流动，电压就是水压，
and the resistance would be like the narrowest section of the pipe making it harder for the water to flow through.
抗力就像是管道中最窄的部分，让水更难以流通。
Your skin is pretty good at resisting current as long as the voltage isn't too high.
只要电压不过高，你的皮肤还是能够有效对抗电流的。
It's a strong, natural barrier to electric flow because it's dry and thick.
皮肤是一个强大的天然屏障，因为皮肤干燥且厚。
It has way more resistance than the wires in your phone charger, so it experiences much less current.
而对手机充电器中的电线则有更多的阻力，所以其接触的电流就更少。
Of course, even when your skin resists the current, the energy from it still has to go somewhere, which is why heat is generated — and why stronger shocks can burn you.
当然即使是当你的皮肤对抗电流时，电流中的能量仍然随处流动，所以就会产生热量—所以更强大的电击能够使你灼伤。
Electricity above 500 volts is considered high voltage, and it's enough to punch through the resistant barrier of the skin and zap someone with enough current to stop their heart.
500伏特以上的电流被认为是高电压，足够穿通皮肤的屏障并用足够的电流击倒别人，从而使心脏停止跳动。
In some cases, this is actually helpful.
在一些情况中，这样真的有所帮助。
If the heart isn't beating right, the carefully targeted, split-second 3000 volt shock from a defibrillator can act like a reset button,
如果心脏无法正常跳动，从电震发生器中瞬间蹦出的3000伏特电击就像是重置按钮一样，
allowing its muscles to fall back into a normal rhythm.
能够让肌肉重新回归正常节奏。
But, in a healthy person, stopping the heart is obviously very, very bad.
但是一个健康的人，心脏停止跳动显然是非常非常糟糕的。
When the skin is damaged or wet, it has much less resistance.
当皮肤受损或潮湿，抵抗力就会减弱。
That's why hairdryers have those super strong warnings that using them in the bath can be fatal,
所以吹风机上边都贴有超强烈警告，告知在浴室中使用很危险，
even though a typical electrical outlet is considered "low voltage" — about 120 volts in the US and 230 volts in Europe.
虽然一般插座都被认为是“低压”的—在美国约为120伏特，在欧洲是230伏特。
So even though an electric shock can be mild and relatively harmless, even low voltage power sources can pose significant risks,
所以虽然触电可以是温和且相对无害的，但即使是低压能源也可能造成显著的风险，
and high voltage sources are always super dangerous.
而高压源总是超级危险的。
Which is why you should always be aware of potential shock hazards.
所以你需要注意潜在的电击危险。
And hopefully, you won't ever experience the true definition of electrocution.
还好你永远不会体验电死的真实感觉。
Thanks for watching this episode of SciShow!
感谢收看本期科学秀!
If you really are fascinated by electricity, you might want to check out the episode on whether you can supercharge your brain
如果你对电力感兴趣，你或许想看看关于是否能够
with batteries over on our sister channel, SciShow Psych, at youtube.com/scishowpsych.
通过电池让你的电脑超负载的视频，请登录我们的姊妹频道SciShow Psych—youtube.com/scishowpsych。
