Why does sticking a metal object into one side of an electric

>>1083217
you become the path to ground

>>1083217
>>1083219
In the USA one of the slots is longer than the other, this side is supposed to be connected to the 'neutral' side. In a properly wired outlet this one cannot shock you. But the other one is 'hot' and if you complete a path back to ground or the neutral side you get shocked.

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>>1083217
To put it simply, the electricity in your house just wants to get to the ground. But us mean humans want to make it go through a load first, like a motor, lightbulb, or TV. Our breakers check to make sure we're putting it through a load, and if it senses that we arent, it trips.

This poor power just wants to get to mother earth as quickly as possible. It's also a sneaky little rat bastard, and will take any path it is given to get there. For example, little Timmy puts a fork into the outlet on the hot side. The power travels through Timmy, down through his shoes, into the floor. Even I don't entirely understand why it travels through Timmys rubber shoes. Maybe it's just searching Timmy for another exit. What if Timmy was standing on a copper rod into the ground, would he even feel it?

In any case, if Timmy was not being a little bastard, and you were just plugging in a lamp, the power travels through the bulb, then back to neutral, which in turn goes into the earth. The difference is, the lightbulb in your lamp limits how much of the power can get to ground. The power prefers it get there faster.

>Hey kid, wanna get lit?

Beyond this, you get into resistance, current, amperage, all that boring shit. They key point is that power wants to go home, and will do what it takes to get there.

>>1083219
But not a direct path, as an outlet delivers AC, the capacitance of your body induces capacitive reactance to ground. Therefor you'll also be shocked if you as insulated as possible.

>>1083217
Does it though? The current is alternating, so what if your body acts as ground for a split second. I don't know.

Because you become ground

Also it only works if you put it into the live side not the neutral side

>>1083217
It does not, I just tried it. Was standing on carpet, wooden floor underneath. Both are not conductive. Just try it with multimeter, every surface with ground resistance above 10k will just slightly tingle (maybe even less, rough count, 230V and ~35mA dangerous current).
It would shock you if you for example was in metal grounded bathtub or on some wet ground. Which is why there are mandatory current protectors (Fi) on new installations here (europe). 30mA tripping current should not kill you.

>>1083217
thats like elementary school physic in what shit hole do you live ?

>>1083550
what about not sticking anithing in a fucking outlet ? or are you runing around with a multimater mesuring resistence?

>>1083448
>>1083550
Having stuck a fork or keys in the power socket as a kid, and almost having died, I'm 90% sure you get the shock from just sticking it in one side.
I know I was a little shit, but I'm not sure I was deft enough to stick things in both sides of the socket at once.
If it matters, this was in NZ, just before the 90's.

>>1083585
Well, i first tried it with rubber slippers on, then continued fucking around because why the fuck not. I've been shocked many times, even the full one-hand-ground-other-hand-phase way, and didn't die. Maybe I'm just lucky idiot with no self-preservation sense.
>>1083589
Possible, there are lot's of things to go wrong. But in the end it's just physics and equalizing of potentials.

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these voltage testing screwdrivers use a tiny neon bulb which lights with very little current. when you insert one side into the LIVE wire and touch the back of it with your thumb, the neon glows because electrons flow from the socket thru the bulb, and thru your body into the surrounding air.

when guys are working on 120,000V live power lines, the same thing happens but with a lot more current. so they wear metallic suits so most of the electrons dont touch their bodies.

>>1083217
Electrons from the live side want to reach ground. If you stick a fork in there, they'll go to ground through your body, giving you a shock.

You'd actually be safer sticking something in both sides at once, because most of the elections would be flowing into the neutral pin of the socket and not through your body

>>1083432
Agreed. Worked a few jobs where you needed to wear Insulating shoes. Still got shocked

>>1083592

>americans

normally the RCBO or whatever the fuck it's called should trip if you do that. But then again 110 volt isn't lethal in most cases.

>>1083597
>so most of the electrons dont touch their bodies.

lel

>>1083611
o boy

>>1083432
Pretty good except the thickness of the insulation will alter the effective capacitance. Increase the insulation enough and the capacitance is effectively zero.
Funny that Americans go to all the trouble of split phase setup but don't just float the entire system, you all have your own potentially isolating transformers don't you?

>>1083846
No. The transformer that steps it down to household voltage is owned by the electric company and serves several homes.

Not to nitpick but the electrons don't just go to the ground, they also come out of the ground when the hot side is in its positive half cycle. Electron flow 5ever

>>1083226
>Even I don't entirely understand why it travels through Timmys rubber shoes.

Because Timmy's shoes are inevitably covered with snot, urine and slug slime.

>>1083219

So if you were floating in mid-air, you wouldn't get a shock?

>>1084761
Correct
High voltage line inspections are done from helicopter and by climbing across the line.

>>1083217
Your body forms one 'plate' of a capacitor, and the ground the other. Current flows because the boy/ground capacitor presents a reactive capacitive load. It's only a few micro-to-milliamps, but it's enough to fuck with your peripheral nerves.

If the wall outlet was DC, nothing would happen.