- #1
ki_2004
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- How does circuit complete when using live wire tester even if I am wearing insulation shoes or worst case not at all connected to the ground.
I raise this question because at a fundamental level I still do not understand how a Capacitor works and how a circuit completes thru capacitor. The live electric tester screwdriver uses stray body capacitance to lit a neon when one end comes in contact with live wire and another with a human body (generally the fingertip)
However what is hard to understand is how circuit can complete from ground to the tester when you are wearing rubber shoes or even not connected to the ground. The tester consists of a resistor and a neon or some such LED bulb in series.
I actually jumped in air while my finger was still touching the tester and it still glowed.
Secondly, if so then why doesn’t this stray body capacitance come into effect if I would be hanging on to a power line? The circuit should still complete thru stray capacitance of human body and ground which is say 50 feet below. Everywhere it’s said that if I am hanging on to only a live power line in air, I shall be safe, because there's no path to ground and that's how the birds sitting on a single power line remain safe.
Thanks.
However what is hard to understand is how circuit can complete from ground to the tester when you are wearing rubber shoes or even not connected to the ground. The tester consists of a resistor and a neon or some such LED bulb in series.
I actually jumped in air while my finger was still touching the tester and it still glowed.
Secondly, if so then why doesn’t this stray body capacitance come into effect if I would be hanging on to a power line? The circuit should still complete thru stray capacitance of human body and ground which is say 50 feet below. Everywhere it’s said that if I am hanging on to only a live power line in air, I shall be safe, because there's no path to ground and that's how the birds sitting on a single power line remain safe.
Thanks.