Another dumb SocMed quiz

[DaveC426913]

I say yes he will. Electricity follows all paths, including the path from one hand to the other.

The current he will receive will be proportional to the resistance of the wire (very small) over the resistance of his body (very large) - which will thus be very small, but not zero.


If my napkin math is correct:
- resistance of a 1metre section of high tension line: .00005 to .00003 ohms
- resistance of a human from and to hand: 1000 to 100,000 ohms
- current of a high tension line: 1000A - 3000A

Let's take the middle of all values:
.04/10000 * 2000
=.008 milliamps

(Oh. Apparently, that's well below human threshold)

 

[berkeman]

I think you should try this, Dave. I accept all responsibilities for your experiment.

EDIT: Unless you have weak arms and hands and fall from 10 meters in the air. No shock, trauma from the fall when you get tired and let go...

 

[DaveC426913]

If I were to apply for Darwin Award, this would not be my preferred way.

 

[kuruman]

Have you not noticed how birds nonchalantly perch on high tension wires? Sure, the distance between their feet is less than the distance between the man's hands, but a bird's resistance is also much less than a man's resistance.

 

[Baluncore]

Have you not noticed how birds nonchalantly perch on high tension wires?

Apparently birds warm their feet on bare wires. Maybe their bodies are actually being dielectrically heated by the AC field near the wire.

Don't forget the importance of wavelength. Get a grip on it. The short parallel vertical stubs on BBC shortwave broadcast antennas, were the legs of birds that were peacefully perched when the RF power was applied, their crowning glory is now called, pyrolysed by corona.

The current he will receive will be proportional to the resistance of the wire (very small) over the resistance of his body (very large) - which will thus be very small, but not zero.

You are assuming that he does not pull himself up, and then chew through the conductor to demonstrate how clever he is, not intelligent, just clever.

I met with a live ex-electrician who had once unhooked a joint in a wire, while holding one side in each hand. He did not let go because the induced residual current in the long line did not let him. He dropped as far as his safety harness permitted, but only after his mate cut the wire next to him. It is important to learn from others mistakes.

 

[Roberto Pavani]

The effect is very different between DC and AC current.

With DC, if you hang with both hands, the scenario is similar to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth_potential_rise
A potential difference exists between your two hands due to the resistance of the wire segment between them.

But with AC there is an additional risk. Have you ever looked at an LED lamp when the switch doesn't interrupt the phase, but is interrupting the neutral line? You will see a "faint" light.

Now, you hanging on the wire are a capacitance, and the AC current will move all the dielectric around the wire (the air) and also you. The effect is similar to corona discharge. If you hang on a 330 kV line then the field can be strong enough to kill you, even with a single hand.