Screwdriver with neon electricity tester

[John Rumm]

Probably best you don't try live working then...

[Lieutenant Scott]

I don't prick myself when working live, as I avoid touching the conductors! It's more when I'm twisting stranded wire before inserting into a grubscrew.

[dennis]

Insurance companies calculate risk, bookies don't. The odds a bookie offers have nowt to do with the odds of an event. They are all about getting the punters to give the correct spread so the bookie can't lose.

[Lieutenant Scott]

Wouldn't they be better adding in some knowledge of the horse or whatever they're giving odds on?

[John Rumm]

Yes I realised that, which is what made your post so astounding!

Do you suppose that if you place a short on a circuit protected by a 30A re-wireable fuse, that the fuse will allow a maximum 30.01 amp to flow before it instantaneously disconnects the circuit?

You may recall being taught ohm's law? V = IR and all that?

Now let's do the sums....

V = 230 R = let's say 0.4 ohms

Therefore 230 = I x 0.4, or I = 230 / 0.4 = 575A

So the actual current that will flow through your shorted connection is

575A, not 30A

That will cause the fuse to blow very quickly, but not instantly. Hence during the time it takes to interrupt the fault current a certain amount of energy will pass through into the fault. That's given by I^2t.

If we assume the fuse vaporises, and the arc is quenched in around 50ms, that would give a let through of 575^2 x 0.05 = 16.5kJ

Or about the same amount of energy as being hit in the face with a sledge hammer swung at 100mph

[brass monkey]

Neither are you likely to. I don't wish to try and impress anyone. Your degree display only makes the bollocks you type even more unbelievable.

[dennis]

Why? All they need is for there to be more losers than winners. They do this by giving longer odds on events people aren't betting on and short odds on stuff people are betting on. If they get it right they win whatever the outcome.

[ARWadsworth]

[ARWadsworth]

[Lieutenant Scott]

That's correct if you placed the two wires against your face before touching them.

[Lieutenant Scott]

I'll have to assume you failed yours then.

[Lieutenant Scott]

But couldn't they win even more by having some knowledge of the event?

[ARWadsworth]

I assume you passed your degree in "talking shit" with first class honours.

[brass monkey]

You're welcome to assume whatever you like, sonny Jim. I'm not really into willy waving.

[Lieutenant Scott]

That's not what it says on the certificate.

[Lieutenant Scott]

Nowt to do with willy waving, it's about stopping people thinking you're a school dropout.

[ARWadsworth]

FFS. My gf's 8 year lad old asks more intelligent questions than you.

[dennis]

They need some initial odds but change them according to how many are taking each event. If they didn't do this they could end up with everyone betting on for example ManU to beat Chelsea. If that happens they lose. They don't need to know what the odds are for ManU to beat Chelsea just manipulate the odds so they make a profit whichever wins. You should know that bookies don't gamble, their customers gamble.

[brass monkey]

How do you intend to achieve such a difficult task? The groundwork that you've already put in will take an awful lot of shifting.

[Mike Clarke]

And still be moving fast enough to do quite a bit of harm to it.