Why is it safe to be insulated from ground while working with electric currents?

[zauguri]

Homework Statement

From serway's book chapter 23(electric fields), questions section.

13) A large metallic sphere insulated from ground is charged
with an electrostatic generator while a student standing on
an insulating stool holds the sphere. Why is it safe to do
this? Why would it not be safe for another person to touch
the sphere after it had been charged?

Homework Equations

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The Attempt at a Solution

The obvious answer would be that it is safe because the student holding the sphere is insulated from the ground, but what does that really mean ?
If I try to imagine what might be happening on a microscopic scale, I would imagine the charged particles(be it -e or +e, or both, I don't know..) next to the point of contact flowing through the body as soon as they are exposed to the charged sphere, how would the charged particles in the body "know" whether the boy's feet are touching the ground or not..
Now, if the two objects were metals, they I would expect such behaviour, since the e- in metals(solid state) are free to move around, so how come it is different for the body?

 

[Defennder]

That's because the person who is holding the sphere is treated as a conductor. The charge doesn't have any path to the ground since the person is insulated by the stool, hence the current would not flow.

I'll think of it as the person + sphere being at the same electric potential and if the bodies are equipotential, there is no electric field involved and hence no current flows. The ground is held at constant 0V potential, so any path to the ground would have a current flowing.

 

[baba89]

It is safe to be insulated from ground while working with electric currents because insulation prevents the flow of electric current through the body. When a person is insulated from ground, they are not in contact with any conductive material that can allow the flow of electric current. This means that even if they come into contact with a charged object, the electric current will not flow through their body and cause harm.

In the scenario described, the student standing on an insulating stool is not in contact with the ground, which means that any charged particles from the sphere will not be able to flow through their body. This makes it safe for them to hold the charged sphere.

On the other hand, if another person were to touch the charged sphere after it had been charged, they would provide a path for the flow of electric current. This is because their body is conductive and allows the charged particles to flow through it. This can be dangerous as the electric current can cause harm to their body.

In summary, being insulated from ground while working with electric currents is safe because it prevents the flow of electric current through the body. This is important to prevent electric shock and other potential hazards.