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
Everyone else has already covered the flow aspect of electricity, but it’s worth noting that ground isn’t the only thing that could endanger you. If there was an open circuit (e.g., if you cut a power line) and you grabbed both ends of the break then you could also be electrocuted.
For a practical example, when you lick a 9V battery (obligatory disclaimer, every kid does this but be careful) you are creating a circuit across the two terminals, and ground has nothing to do with the current you feel.
Ground is by far the most common source/sink of electrical energy we encounter, but any flow could harm you.
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