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If a resistor produces/dissipates heat when a voltage drop is applied, how
does Misaka survive when she uses her most powerful electrical attacks?

See [this Q&A (" _How much heat damage can Misaka's shocks do to a regular
human at max output?_ ")](https://anime.stackexchange.com/q/67661/70615) for
calculations of the rate of temperature change that would occur in a human
body of similar build to Misaka experiencing heat dissipation due to a maximum
shock by her.

How is she not burnt to a crisp?

Note: I'm aware that _for comedic effect_ , Misaka often electrically shocks
Kuroko (in anime season 1, ep2 21:21, ep12 22:19, in season 2, ep4 3:25, ep17
16:21 and 18:43, ep19 7:21, ep22 13:46, ep23 10:54, in season 3, ep1 5:34
21:47, etc.), and Kuroko comes out of the experience fine. I shrug that off
because I enjoy it for the _comedic effect_. But there's no comedic effect for
most of Misaka's other attacks; those moments are quite serious in atmosphere,
and the author of the Toaru series shows some dedication to logical/rational
explanations for scifi phenomenon in their works, so I have some
expectation/anticipation of more rigour to be applied outside of comedic
contexts.

### My theories of possible explanations for Misaka's survival

Possible Explanation | My Faith in the Explanation  
---|---  
She has a different specific heat capacity than a normal human body, which
would mean a slower rate of temperature change. | I'm doubtful of this, since
she seems to experience heat similarly to her peers in the anime's season 1
beach episode (season 1 ep 13 at 12:00. She does seem relatively okay in the
cold (possibly due to just trying to deflect Kuroko's advances), but reacts
normally to the heat).  
She has greater ability to resist heat damage than a normal human, though she
still experiences the sensation similar to a normal human | This would explain
the beach episode, but it does seem like a strange explanation to give for an
_electromaster_. I apologize because I have little faith (having not read the
manga or light-novels myself) that a confirmation or disproval of this will be
found in those: I can't see such a technical detail being given casually in
the story without some "perfect context".  
She has a different electrical resistance than a normal human body, which
would also mean a slower rate of temperature change. Or, she can control the
electrical resistance of her own body. | This seems like a logical and
satisfying explanation to me in that electrical resistance (at least by
intuition to someone with a very shallow science background) is a highly-
electricity-related property (compared to specific heat and resistance to heat
damage). I wouldn't even be surprised if she could canonically control the
resistance of her own body- sure, it couldn't happen in real life, but the
same goes for most of her abilities and it seems believably consistent with
the rest.  
  
However, it would require _higher_ resistence to reduce the heat dissipation
_by reducing the electrical power_ if I understand the physics correctly, so I
don't understand how she could retain the power of the attack while using such
a technique to protect herself against heat dissipation.  
Her electric shock attacks don't involve any special electrical activity
inside her own body. It's shown clearly that external electric attacks against
her don't work in the anime's first season in ep3 at 17:43. | This wouldn't
explain how she survives usage of her railgun, where [the two rails which
current flows between](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Railgun#Theory) are
supposedly [simulated inside her own
arm](https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Misaka_Mikoto/Abilities#Railgun).  
  
### How is she still alive?

I've watched the three seasons of the anime, but haven't read the light novels
or manga adaptation. Are any of the above explanations for her survival
confirmed or denied in the light novels or manga adaptations? Or is there an
explanation given that I haven't considered? If so, what is it?


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a-certain-scientific-railgun
How does Misaka survive heat dissipation in her own body when using her abilities?


The world of _A Certain Magical Index_ and _A Certain Scientific Railgun_ is a
world where magic and science collide. As far as the science side goes, there
are still wonky forces in play. Namely, esper powers come from an individual
cultivating a [personal
reality](https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Personal_Reality).

Thus, this is not purely a physics question.

From the wiki:

> The concept of Personal Reality is related to quantum theory. It enables its
> user to ignore the Uncertainty Principle, and with regards to the
> Schrödinger's cat thought experiment, will allow them to interfere with and
> distort the microscopic world using different laws.

Since I have the first few volumes of _A Certain Magical Index_ , I can get
the actual quote from the section referenced (though the wiki does a good
summary, so I won't quote the whole thing). From volume 3, chapter 2, section
8:

> "What we call _espers_ are those people whose power to see the reality of
> this fifty percent hard candy has been _shifted away_ from that of normal
> people. RSPK Syndrome--in layman's terms, some children lose the ability to
> perceive reality as it is because of poltergeists, or via trauma or
> excessive stress. Also, the Gantzfeldt Experiment used in Ability
> Development purposely shuts down your five senses and essentially cuts you
> off from normal reality.[...] An 'esper' who has been cut off from the usual
> reality can acquire a personal reality that differs from the rest of us. As
> a result, they alter the microscopic world using laws different from regular
> people.... They can acquire 'powers' like breaking things without touching
> them or seeing the future a year from now just by closing their eyes. [...]
> The 'Mnemonics' we carry out refers to artificially creating one of these
> personal realities. To put it more simply, we help cause certain kinds of
> disorders in their brains by using things like medicine and suggestion."

A personal reality might be called a delusion that becomes real, precisely
because one believes it is real. Misaka's powers exist in her own personal
reality. Thus, she does not need to comply to the physics of the real world.
It doesn't make sense that her powers would incinerate her in her own personal
reality, in her own delusion.

The magic/religion side can't be discounted either, just because we're talking
about the science side. For instance, continuing in the dialogue I quoted, we
get this from Miss Komoe:

> "[System] refers to one who arrives at heaven's intent in an ungodly body.
> Our objective is to see what lies beyond Level Five, after all. We humans
> don't understand the truth of the universe. So it's simple. If there were
> someone with a status above human, they should obviously be able to
> understand god's answer."

Additionally, the entire world of _A Certain Magical Index_ has multiple
layers of reality, so it's not just personal realities that distort laws of
the world. See <https://toarumajutsunoindex.fandom.com/wiki/Phase> for details
(spoilers). From the wiki:

> The many religions (Christian, Buddhist, Celtic, Indian, Shinto, Incan,
> Aztec, Greek, Roman, Norse etc) which have arisen throughout history have
> had the effect of applying various phases to the world. The world is said to
> contain as many phases are there are divine legends and religions. Extremely
> powerful beings, such as Magic Gods, are also capable of applying new phases
> and manipulating existing ones.


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