2006-09-07 02:59:02 · 21 answers · asked by The Mole 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
I don't plan an experiment...
2006-09-07 03:11:46 · update #1
because you are not providing a path to ground..electricty always wants to go to ground and when has a path it rushes like an avalanche to get to the ground. When you provide no path electricity will flow right thru you but when you are a path to ground it will BURN right thru you to get to ground.
Ever have some snot nose rub on the carpet and zap you..that is all that electricity rushing all at once thru you to the ground..but if you are wearing rubber soles to cut off any path to ground you don't get shocked since the electricity has no way to get to ground.
BE WARNED..this does not always hold true...if you are dealing with LARGE amounts of electricity then just because you are not grounded or wearing insulating boots will not protect you...good example is telephone worker working on a cable line (LOTS of power) and when has path to ground the safety gloves are only good up to 17,000 volts but when no path to ground can go up to 35,000 volts.
Think of electricity like water...when it is calm you can control a large stream to some extent but when it is a raging river you cannot control it pretty much at all
2006-09-07 03:21:24 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Who said so?
You can get electrocuted just by standing anywhere near high voltage. You don't have to be grounded either if you touch power then neutral or earth.
You can even get electrocuted between the earth wire and earth if there is an earth leak on the supply.
That's why you have rubber mats to stand on and double insulated tools. Even so its best to keep the working hand away from the free hand.
Now a short will go through your body and not across your heart.
2006-09-07 10:32:43 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You need to complete the circuit. Kind of like running a wire with a light from the positive side to the negative side of a battery. If you don't connect the wire to one end of the battery, the electricity does not flow.
Current in the wires leaves the generator in the power station, enters your house, flows through the wiring in the walls, and exits to the ground. The ground can be considered the negative end of a battery, because that is how the electricity flows back to the generator in the power station. If you touch a wire and touch the ground, electricity flows through you. If you don't touch the ground, the electricity has no where to go.
2006-09-07 10:06:32 · answer #3 · answered by nureal1 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is the flow of electricity through you that harms you, not the mere presence. If you touch a live conductor you will be OK. If you then subsequently touch anything connected to ground, or the neutral conductor, the electricity can then start to flow and at that instant, you will experience an electrical shock.
This is not an experiment you should try at home - electrocution is not generally reversible.
2006-09-07 10:07:21 · answer #4 · answered by Never say Never 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ever heard of a Van De Graaff Generator?
Its what they use to show your hair standing on end with static electricity
Same concept. Your hair won't hold a static charge if you are grounded so you and the machine are suspended on non conductive stands so that your body starts to gain an electric charge. The moment you step off or touch someone that jolt is the electric charge grounding itself.
Even if you are not grounded if you build up enough charge it will find a way to ground itself either by jumping air to touch ground or overcoming the resistance of the platform you are standing on. Either way the electric jolt isn't good for you.
2006-09-07 10:15:44 · answer #5 · answered by uqlue42 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
An earth connection completes the path that the current must flow through. If you are not touching the ground then the current cannot find it's way to earth. The current is what causes the damage to you if you receive an electric shock. If there is no way for the current to flow through you to earth, then you will escape unharmed. This is how birds can perch on power lines without getting fried.
2006-09-07 10:13:47 · answer #6 · answered by Northstar 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You will simply be 'live' you only get electrocuted if the electricity is able to travel through you. If someone else who was grounded touched you, you would both be electrocuted.
2006-09-07 10:09:10 · answer #7 · answered by RRM 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Electric current has to flow in a circuit, from source to outlet.
If you are not completing a circuit it is perfectly safe to touch a live cable.
Example of this is if a bird is sitting on pylon cable does not get electrocuted.
2006-09-07 10:11:21 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
For current to pass thru any circuit, it requires the circuit to be complete, ie connected at both ends.
So if ya hold on to a 11kv line n jus hang from it not touchin ground, nothin will happen.
Its that simple
2006-09-07 10:10:13 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Electric current is trying to get to ground. If you are not grounded, you can't be part of the path. It's like asking why you don't take this little road to the side that dead ends when you are trying to drive home. The little dead end road doesn't go to your home.
2006-09-07 10:02:40 · answer #10 · answered by TychaBrahe 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋