if you touch a wire and you’re not grounded, you wont get harmed, why?

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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

28 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Electricity is a flow of electrons. If you aren’t grounded, the electricity doesn’t have a path to flow through your body. No electrical flow, no shock.

That being said, you CAN still be mildly shocked by a live wire even if you aren’t grounded. AC or alternating current switches polarity 60 times per second. Your body has sufficient capacitance that AC current will flow in and out of your body enough to cause a shock.

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