When a bird lands on a power line, they dont get shocked. When a human touches one, they do. Why is this true?

Answer 1

Birds will fry too if they have one foot grounded to something else, same as humans.

Answer 2

The bird does not get a shock because it is not completing the circuit between the high tension line and the ground. A human touching the line without touching anything else would be just as safe as the bird. When you hear about a human getting shocked you will find that they were somehow completing the circuit with earth.

Answer 3

The bird is on one line and is not in contact with the ground. If a human could hang on one line without touching another line or the ground, they would also not get shocked. The electricity is trying to get from one line to the other or to the ground and a human body is able to carry the current.

Answer 4

When a bird touches a wire in the air, he only touches one. If he touches both or the ground, he gets shocked. In human scale, the wires are actually glued together, so there is a way bigger chance of getting shocked. That's why electricians always move away live wires with the back of their hands, not the palms, because if they get shocked, their muscles in the hand will contract which is quite dangerous, he might not be able to let go the wire because his muscles are gripping the wire tight.

Answer 5

I think it depends on if you are grounded or not. If you touched one power line but also the ground, the electricity will want to travel through your body and into the ground, electrocuting you in the process. If you happen to be hanging from a power line, you would be fine since the electricity would have no where else to go but continue on its path through the wire. Same goes with birds, since the birds are not touching anything else but the wire.

Answer 6

Most of the given answers are correct and deserve a good rating. So .......(ta da) Time again for Logic's Logic..

The lines that run thru most neighborhoods are in excess of 13,000 volts. The top lines along the poles are what these are. They are stepped down to 220 at the gray can shaped transformers on the poles and then to your house. Yes a ground is needed to complete the path. That is why the bucket trucks are made of fiberglass, so as not to set a path to ground. Look at the wiring from the poles. The top wires are the power lines. The next clump of wires down the pole are the cable, and the telephone lines. However, never take chances, and if you see a down wire, do not go near it.

Answer 7

The bird goes from the air onto the wire without touching a grounded part and making a path for the electricity to go to ground through their body. A person is usually holding something grounded like a tower support when touching the live wire and gets the current through their body.

Answer 8

Actually, humans don't either, unless they complete a circuit, and I work on hot power lines rather frequently with no noticeable effect. One's body capacitance (a few picofarads) will cause a very slight current to flow if you touch a household-voltage power line, but the current is too small to feel. You can detect it, however, if you use a neon circuit tester, hold one probe in your hand and touch a hot wire with the other: you will see a faint glow from the sub-milliampere current that flows. Although birds sit on distribution power lines (about 7-14 kV) frequently, they avoid high voltage lines (110 kV and up) because the current flow from the high voltage and their body capacity becomes large enough to be noticeably unpleasant.

Answer 9

Ahh, an ageless question. Well in order to be shocked, one must complete the electrical circuit. A human who was suspened in mid air could safely touch a power line, as the human is not grounded. The electricity wants to go into the ground, to dissipate. When you make a connection between the electricity and the ground, that is when you get shocked. A bird does not complete the circuit.

Answer 10

i think of something can touch them as long as there is nowhere for the electrical powered energy to flow TO, i.e. using fact the birds are not touching something, like the floor, the electrical powered energy cant bypass everywhere so as that they don't get electrocuted. i think of in case you sat on a capacity line like they do you would be ok, as long as you weren't touching something for the present to flow by way of. Thats why Homer Simpson gets a marvel from touching the beer cans on the capacity line on channel 4 using fact he's likewise stunning onto the tree:) P.S. Im in basic terms %ninety 9 specific SO do not FFS attempt and attempt THIS concept OUT

Answer 11

Im not absolutely positive, but I believe you have to be touching both of the wires to get electrocuted. I have seen video of birds getting electrocuted so I think its about touching two powerlines at the same time that causes the electrocution. I could be wrong though.