Why does when you take a cord out of a powerpoint, light flickers inside the powerpoint?

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Why does when you take a cord out of a powerpoint, light flickers inside the powerpoint?

In: Technology

3 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Air is not a perfect insulator of electricity. When you pull the plug out, there is a brief moment when the pins aren’t touching inside the socket, but the gap is small enough that the electricity can jump across the gap as a spark, called *arcing*. When this happens, the air gets superheated and glows for a split second. This is the light you see. It can be even worse if the thing you’re pulling out has a transformer because of how they work. In fact, this is why light switches always click. They are designed to keep that sparking to a minimum as it can damage the contacts in the switch.

Anonymous 0 Comments

This will only happen if the appliance connected to the cord is ‘live’. If there’s a switch for the appliance, turn it off before unplugging.

If you get the arcing when the appliance is switched off, consult a qualified electrician.