Can someone be electricuted if they out their head next to a train line?

Question

but dont actually touch the electric rail, say 10 cm away. does electricty travel through air if you are close? thankyou

Answer 1

Depends, if you are in an AC current area and have something that will attract the current on your head, like wire rim glasses, then a possibility if you are Earthed, if you are in a DC current area, then No, not until you actually physically touch the rail with your body of wet clothing will you get a shock.

Answer 2

yes

Answer 3

Ray P is right, the DC voltage in the third rail will not jump across to you. But if you touch it you will die because you wont be able to let go. The AC voltage in the overhead wires will kill you if you get close to them, it can jump about 3 meters in the right conditions.

Answer 4

its possible if the weather conditions are wrong, but more importantly why would you want to put your head 10cm away from a rail which is overhung each side by haundreds of tons of express train, l think electricution is the last of your problems

Answer 5

erm i'm not actually sure but i would imagine so because of the static in the atmosphere. its like the same way that lightning passes from the sky to the ground (through static charge in the air).

Answer 6

Electricity can jump an air gap. The actual distance jumped depends on the conductivity of the electrodes (i.e. the conductor rail and your head); the excellence of the earthing of your head (i.e. is you skin in contact with the soil); the dampness of the air and the ground; the actual voltage on the conductor rail.

In practice you would probably have to be much closer than 10cm to get a spark; but that spark would probably kill you - if you were lucky.

If you were not lucky enough to be killed outright then the resulting burns would be horrifically disfiguring, disabling and agoinsingly painful beyond anything that you could imagine.

In practice your head would probably also be hit by the suspension mechanisms on the bogies of a passing train.  

Third rail electric trains in the UK use Direct Current. This will 'clamp' you because it causes the muscles to contract (before burning out). The voltage on the third rail can be anything from 750V to 600V or so; depending on location, train speeds and other factors. Therefore the 'spark gap' distance will vary accordingly.

The domestic mains will normally 'throw' you if you touch a live conductor because that uses Alternating Current; which causes muscles, including the heart, to vibrate so your grip on the conductor is released (if you're lucky). However, it is this "vibration" that kills you when it happens to the heart because it is unable to pump blood. The condition is called ventricular fibrullation and is fatal if not stopped within a very short time.

Do not try and experiment please. You probably won't live to write up the conclusions. Also, deaths on the railway cause all sorts of troubles and delays for the inocent travellers.

Answer 7

I think you mean the third rail system, as used in the south east as opposed to the overhead system. The third rail system I think uses 600volts DC, which is classed as low voltage, so it would not arc over the 10cm, although I wouldn't try it! The overhead system uses 25kV, which is high voltage, and would quite probably jump the 10cm.

Answer 8

hi i dont mean to be rude or anything but i work for network railas a trackworker our overhead line system and our conductor rail (3rd rail) are both at a safe distance for the public to use our railways safely the only way you would be hurt is if you either are on track for the 3rd rail or for the overhead wires either you are climbing on any of the pilons or you are on the roof of a train all 3 places you are not allowed to be other than working for the railway that means you being out on the track and you can only do that if you carry a valid pts card (personal track safety)

Answer 9

third rail you will stick to it if you touch it wont arc to you but why you want to have your head 10cm away from it I find funny as for the electricity pushing you away yes it will but only after getting a buzz from 25000 volts and trust me I have seen someone getting hit by the arc from overhead wires not a funny site

Answer 10

There's only one way to find out for sure! Go and stick your head on the train track and see what happens.

Answer 11

no, but they might be 'electrocuted'.

Jeeez...

Answer 12

I remember years ago reading about a kid who threw an empty coke can over a railway line, hit the electicity line and the electicity arched back and hit the boy.

He died.

So the answer is yes - although i am not sure by what you mean by "out of their head"

Answer 13

Yes, in the same way lighting works.

Answer 14

I wouldn't go anywhere near a rail line, whether electric or not. Apart from being against the law, it can seriously damage your health. Permanently.

Answer 15

try it let me know how u get on

Answer 16

Yes. Neither should you be on the track, or even be that close unless the lecy's turned off.

Answer 17

Electricity can 'arc' across air if you come close to a high power source. You would probably not experience this effect from the scenario you mention;  it is more likely with conductors like metal poles than a person's head.

Don't try it with a metal coat hanger in your mouth.

You may be decapitated by a train though.