I understand why you get harmed if you’re grounded, you’re becoming part of the wire and the electricity is going from you to the earth. what I dont understand is, why the electricity doesnt harm you when youre not touching the ground, isnt it going through you either way? how does it not affect your body?
In: Physics
Just want to add to all the other comments that have already answered the question, I really wouldn’t say you won’t get harmed, especially on mains AC electricity.
Keep in mind that even if you’re not grounded, you are still capacitively coupled towards ground (or if you’re a linesman somehow, towards the other AC phases as well). Depending on the amount of capacitance between you and ground, the impedance between you and ground might be low enough for enough current to pass through you towards ground to shock you, at 50-60 Hz mains frequency.
To put it in simpler terms, you’re a capacitor towards ground, AC electricity passes through capacitors, you can get shocked.
P.S: This can happen as well on DC, but IIRC you need a lot higher DC voltage for you to be shocked if you’re not grounded, and through a completely different phenomenon that is dielectric breakdown.
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