More specifically, I understand what they are (Voltage is the guide of electricity and Current is the speed of the flow), but I’m having trouble understanding their relation. For example: in a hypothetical scenario where I have a 220v source that outputs 1amp through an uncovered wire, since the voltage is only the guide of electricity, would it be safe to touch?
I also may be wring about the definition of Voltage and Current all together.
All help is appreciated! THX!
(I’m 14 and learing about electronics on the internet. English is also NOT my first language)
In: 5
You’re missing two more concepts — resistance and work. When you put voltage, resistance, and current together they produce work, and you have the basics of electricity.
A useful analogy is a waterfall on a river. Voltage is the height of the waterfall. Current is the amount of water flowing over the waterfall. Resistance is how narrow the channel is that leads to the waterfall. Work done by the electricity is how much force ends up hitting the rocks at the bottom of the waterfall.
Compare two waterfalls, one taller than the other. The taller one represents a higher voltage. If the both have the same amount of water flowing through, the taller one will do more work. Or, to look at it another way, if you want to get the same amount of work from the two waterfalls, the shorter one will need to have more water flowing over it (i.e., higher current).
This is why in a country with 125 volt electrical systems an electric kettle will take more time to boil water than the same electric kettle in a country with a 240 volt systems. The mechanism in the electric kettle can only sustain so much current, but that same amount of current coming from a 240 volt system does more work than from a 125 volt system.
Resistance determines the amount of current flowing through. If there is only a narrow stream leading to a waterfall (i.e., high resistance) then only a small amount of water will flow through. This limits the amount of work that can be done. If there was a wider channel (lower resistance) leading to the waterfall then more water could flow through (higher current) enabling more work to be done.
To address your last question, first things first: DO NOT TOUCH LIVE ELECTRICAL WIRES!!!!! It doesn’t matter whether you’re on a 125 v or 240v system, both are dangerous. To go with the waterfall analogy: it doesn’t matter if the waterfall is 125 meters tall or 240 meters tall. If you jump off of either one you’re going to be dead. It’s just a question of how hard you will hit and how much of a mess you will make at the bottom. Height here is a reasonably good analogy: 12 volts (like from a battery) is generally safe; even a relative novice can jump off a 10 meter diving platform into a pool safely with only a little instruction. Jumping from a 25 meter height into water will likely get you hurt, just like the 24 volt system on trucks can be dangerous. 125 or 240 volts? Don’t do it!
In electrical terms, your nerves function on voltages in the millivolt range and currents in the milliamp range. Household electrical systems are literally 1000x as powerful. That amount of difference ***will*** unalive you in a big hurry.
It’s not a perfect analogy; in some ways a set of rapids along a river is a better analogue but it’s harder to explain.
There’s a lot more to understanding electricity, both from a theoretical side and from a practical side. Hopefully this helps get you started.
Edit: hit post accidentally before I was done.
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