Recent content by infomike

That is true for the high voltage primary transmission lines, but I was referring to the distribution lines from the local substations which consist of 4 wires. (3 mains, plus neutral)

Isn't that pretty much the same in the U.S.? All the pole transformers that I see have their neutrals ties to a multi-grounded neutral wire.

What IS very common is for the neutral to be bonded to the chassis or frame. That's pretty much the same thing. The idea being that if you use a transfer switch, the neutral-ground bond at the service panel is disconnected.

So it's possible to get a shock while using a common portable generator that is not connected to ground? This is assuming that the rubber tires of the generator are not good conductors I experimented by starting my generator and measuring the voltage from one of the hot slots of a receptacle...

anonmily, I think that your answer is the best of all and is consistent with the chemistry and physics that I know. As I predicted, there is some oxidation/reduction (electrolysis in the case of water )going on at the interfaces between the body and the wire.

You are saying that free electrons flow through the body fluids?? I don't see how that is possible from my chemistry background.

You mostly hear about electrons as being the vehicle of an electric current because we think of wires and metal. However, if an electric current traveled through the human body, it would be in the form of ions, right? But what happens at the interface between body and wire? I am guessing that...

It appears to me that the reason that you can be shocked while contacting a high voltage line and the Earth is not because of any inherent electrical quality of the earth, but because the power grid has been connected to Earth at multiple grounding points. I have concluded that if the grid were...

Also, heat is lost by the resistance in the circuits.

Well, actually, I was generalizing and knew about those other devices. I was thinking of the logic circuitry on the circuit boards.

So it appears to me then, unlike other kinds of circuits where electrical energy is converted to mechanical energy or chemical energy, no actual work is done in most digital circuitry. It only results in heat. I guess that's why you need all those heat sinks and fans blowing on CPUs.

I've never heard it said before but it appears to me that all electrical current that flows in a solid state component system; processors, diodes, transistors, resistors, etc. is eventually dissipated as heat. What are your thoughts about this?

Okay...so from what I read here and other places, I will summarize: 1. Power plant supplies the work creating the electric potential energy. 2. Current flows into motor, which is electric kinetic energy. 3. Electrons flowing through a magnetic field cause a magnetic field interaction which...

There must be something more to this. If electrical energy is transferred to mechanical energy as in the motor effect, wouldn't some work have to be done in this process?

That's true, but I was referring to the current in a resistor, separate from the current in the rest of the circuit. In your example, the increased resistance will reduce the current everywhere in the circuit. I had mistakenly thought that current could be different in a resistor as opposed to...