Electric pylons - Can you get eletricuted?

Question

Hi, I am having an argument with my partner, about electricity pylons. How can birds sit on the wires and not get electricuted, I think its because they are not touching the ground as electric needs to come into contact with the ground to travel. If I sat on the wires would I get electricuted if I was not touching the ground. Can anyone please clear this up for me thanks

Answer 1

you are correct about the birds.. if they had one talon on the wire and one on the ground then they would get electrocuted. You could sit up there too and be fine. How it works is electricity likes to travel through the least resistant path and the electrons would rather stay in and along the wire rather than pass through the birds or you. But if you touch the ground, which electricity loves to get to, then you're in trouble.

Answer 2

there is no "difference of potential" so thats why they dont get shocked if you did on just one line youd be ok (how do you think they fix them) but as soon as you touched another line or anything youd be dead

Answer 3

yes - you are right

Electricity needs an easier path to earth to take a new route.

A bird is putting its high resistance body in parallel with the high voltage wire. The wire is a better conductor so therefore the bird is safe.

Upset a bird by snapping the wire between its legs... it will suddenly be the lowest resistance path and would very quickly feel a bit of a tingle as it explodes :-)

Answer 4

Your question has been answered that there is no current flow because they don't make a circuit between another wire or the ground.

If you tried to do the same you would get killed crossing from the metal pylon at earth potential to the live wire.

Line repair men travel in baskets hung from the wires by helicopter to do repairs because they never make a circuit.

Another interesting observation is that you will not see birds on lines that operate at very high voltages, this is because a small ionizing current would flow and electrocute them.

Answer 5

You need to complete a circuit to get a shock.

A bird will land on a wire and will never complete a circuit, so no shock.

If you tried to climb and walk across to the cable , you will as you step on the cable , have one foot on the cable and one one the earth bar,  so big bang and your are gone.

You need to have the electricity running through you to get a shock.

You are actually connected to one side of a circuit all the time, you are earthed.

If you touch the other side of the circuit you will get a shock.