Forensic Pathology for Police - Brainshare Public Online Library

450 17 Electrical Deaths
Fig. 17.1 Common household electrical outlet (receptacle) (120 V)
Fig. 17.2 Residential power lines (around 7500 V). Note that, in most instances, these power lines
are not insulated (they are not coated with rubber)
Current is defined as the number of electrons flowing within an electrical circuit.
Current is measured in “amperes” or “amps.” The amount of current flowing
within an electrical circuit depends on two things, the voltage and the resistance.
The relation between current, voltage, and resistance is defined by “Ohm’s law,”
which states that the current is equal to the voltage divided by the resistance.
There are two basic types of “manmade” electricity, “alternating current” (AC)
and “direct current” (DC). Alternating current is a current that alternates its direction
within a circuit at regularly occurring intervals. The frequency at which this
occurs is measured in “cycles per second” or “hertz.” Most household and industrial
electricity is AC, with the common household frequency measuring 60 hertz.