Please help. Thank you.
2007-05-07 15:04:49 · 14 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
What kills is current flow through the person. If the car is made of metal and the power line is touching the car body (instead of a wire or something that the person is touching), the entire car body is at the same electric potential and there is no voltage difference to drive a current through the person. If the person opened the door and put a foot on the ground (with the car body at line potential and the ground at ground potential), THEN there would be trouble.
2007-05-07 15:11:52 · answer #1 · answered by Engineer-Poet 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
When the electricity from a downed power line touches the car, it travels along the metallic body of the car. It is transferred to the ground through the rubber tires. The rubber is not a conductive element, so for electrical effects, the person is not touching the ground. For a person to be electrocuted from a power line in this situation, he or she would have to be touching the car and the ground at the same time.
So don't get out of the car until the line is moved away!
2007-05-07 22:20:02 · answer #2 · answered by Satinrabbi 1 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It has to do with what is known as a "Faraday Cage." The electric charge flows around the outside of the car and has no effect on the person inside. This is not dependent on the rubber tires.
Read all about it on Wikipedia... it is really pretty cool. :-)
2007-05-07 22:54:45 · answer #3 · answered by usernametakenlawl 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Actually, the tires don't exactly protect you, its the outer-steel shell of the car that directs the electrical current down and around the person sitting inside. Since the person is sitting inside and NOT touching any part of the steel on the outside, they are protected.
2007-05-07 22:13:18 · answer #4 · answered by mrswho86 2 · 2⤊ 1⤋
i will be guessing....eeheh when the power line makes contact with the car and the car makes contact to the ground then the electricity would flow towards the ground. when lightning strike the earth..the ground takes the hit..and absorb the shock. therefor the ground absorb the electricity and let it run off to somewhere else until it is neutraled out. if, the person end up getting out of the car then he/she will be fried up...because he/she had interrupted the nromal flow of electricity by opening the car door.., so the electricity will now make contact with the person because he/ she made contact with metal..and metal conduct electricity at the time....
2007-05-07 22:11:39 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
because rubber tires are an insulator or because the car grounds out the electricity it takes the shortest path to the ground I've heard both answers
2007-05-07 22:54:37 · answer #6 · answered by pattillogary 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
You touch any metal in that car and see how protected you are tires or not.
2007-05-11 01:04:51 · answer #7 · answered by hilltopobservatory 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The car is not grounded, the tires act as an insulator, preventing a complete circuit. if the person were to try to get out , they would complete a circuit and recieve a shock when their feet touched the ground.
2007-05-07 22:19:55 · answer #8 · answered by tom 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋
The tires, they ground your car. If you touch anything metal or try to get out of the car though you could get fried.
2007-05-07 22:10:55 · answer #9 · answered by Judy W 4 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Rubber tires
2007-05-07 22:11:50 · answer #10 · answered by Elise F 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋