-----Original Message-----
From: pic microcontroller discussion list
[mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Jake Anderson
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 10:45 AM
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: ] curious Live wire experiment


you have feet no?
they are touching the ground
current will flow from active to ground

-----Original Message-----
From: pic microcontroller discussion list
[mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Omega Software
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 12:44 AM
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Subject: Re: ] curious Live wire experiment


At 00.34 22/02/2004 +1100, you wrote:
>this is simmilar in many respects to faraday flying the kite in the
>thunderstorm
>and no i dont mean electrically
>
>people working on high tension lines will sometimes opperate on them live
>they generally wear a suit woven with metal fibers running through it and
>opperate from a helicopter.
>even then when they connect the helicopter to the line they throw a spark
>about 20cm long.
>
>This is a *really* silly experiment to do.
>
>most people who are electrocuted get zapped touching just one wire and
>ground.

But I didn't touch ground at all, how come that current flowed anyway?
I knew that ground is at the same potential of the Neutral wire.

How can current flow by touching JUST the Live wire?

This is my original question no one yet answered to, after many replies.
My idea is of some capacitive effect (my body with the planet, which I
suppose is at earth potential, although with a big virtual serie resistor)..
I can't imagine anything else.


>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: pic microcontroller discussion list
>[mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Omega Software
>Sent: Saturday, February 21, 2004 10:02 PM
>To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
>Subject: [EE:] curious Live wire experiment
>
>
>Hello,
>
>I've always been curious to know if one can get an electric shock by JUST
>touching the 230V Live wire (not the Neutral).
>
>A lot of people keep telling me it's impossible, yet I can measure some AC
>voltage between me and the Live wire with my multimeter (pity it cannot
>measure AC current).
>
>Since the AC voltage was something like very few volts, and my body's
>resistance quite high (at least at those voltages), I decided to try an
>experiment, knowing anyway that the "automatic emergency switch" (Ground
>Surge Protection? how is it called?) would have saved me from eventual
>annoying problems.
>
>I had a green led I wasn't too fond of, so I've put one pin (the anode,
>although I doubt that it matters) to the Live wire, and left the cathode
>unconnected. I turned on the switch.. and then finally put a finger on the
>cathode, thinking the LED may have started to emit some light.
>Instead, I heard a loud pop and saw a shiny spark.. while the current in
the
>house immediately went away (the automatic emergency switch (lifesaver?
>Ground Surge Protection?) acted).
>The LED wasn't damaged (!), but the pin tied to the Live 230V line was
>burned and damaged, so much that it was nearly cut.
>I'd have some questions about the above experiment:
>
>1) Being I insulated from earth, why did the current (and so much of) pass
>anyway? Was I the plate of a "capacitor" to earth? If so, how big? And what
>was the other plate, every thing surrounding me, maybe?
>
>2) How much current may have passed through me, if the automatic emergency
>switch didn't stop it?
>
>3) Why the LED still works perfectly, while one of its pins is so much
>damaged?
>
>Thanks,
>Andrea
>
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