Is it possible to get electrocuted by touching this electric line?

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter Simfish
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Electric Line
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the safety concerns related to touching a specific type of wire, identified as a support or guy wire, which some participants initially misidentified as a power line. The conversation explores the potential risks of electrocution, particularly in relation to insufficient insulation and grounding issues, while also addressing misconceptions about the wire's function.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express concern about the possibility of electrocution if the wire has insufficient insulation.
  • Others clarify that the wire in question is a support wire that does not carry current, suggesting it is safe to touch.
  • One participant mentions that guy wires could potentially carry small currents under certain conditions, such as poor grounding or induced voltage from nearby power lines.
  • There are anecdotes shared about childhood misconceptions regarding the danger of such wires, indicating a common misunderstanding about their purpose and safety.
  • Some participants emphasize the importance of caution around power lines and their supporting structures, regardless of the perceived risk.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally disagree on the level of risk associated with touching the wire, with some asserting it is safe while others caution against potential dangers under specific circumstances. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the actual risk of electrocution.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention factors such as grounding quality and induced voltage, which could influence the safety of touching the wire, but these conditions are not fully explored or quantified in the discussion.

Simfish
Gold Member
Messages
811
Reaction score
2
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_gxYAfFM1cj0/TAMacp0MNYI/AAAAAAAAAWc/mxXpDc4_OBA/s640/05292010005.jpg

Is there a small chance of electrocution if these lines have insufficient insulation?

I know that the chances of electrocution are much higher if you happen to touch the ground and a power line up above at the same time. But that doesn't really automatically happen. With this power line, it's easy to accidentally touch it, so I'm scared.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Simfish said:
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_gxYAfFM1cj0/TAMacp0MNYI/AAAAAAAAAWc/mxXpDc4_OBA/s640/05292010005.jpg

Is there a small chance of electrocution if these lines have insufficient insulation?

I know that the chances of electrocution are much higher if you happen to touch the ground and a power line up above at the same time. But that doesn't really automatically happen. With this power line, it's easy to accidentally touch it, so I'm scared.

LOL! That's not a power line... do you really think they would just let a high voltage wire hang around like that? It's a cable to anchor the pole in place... it doesn't carry any electricity...
 
That's a support wire. There's not current in that.
 
Is this a joke?
 
Mu naught said:
LOL! That's not a power line... do you really think they would just let a high voltage wire hang around like that? It's a cable to anchor the pole in place... it doesn't carry any electricity...

Not only that, but I typically see them split with ceramic blocks (they call it a strain insulator in the diagram), so no electricity should be able to be conducted past the ceramic even if the guy line were somehow to come into contact with a live wire.

gonentrans-fig9.17.jpg
 
Mu naught said:
LOL! That's not a power line... do you really think they would just let a high voltage wire hang around like that?

When I was 5, my mother assumed it was and I was not allowed to touch them. Later I figured out that it's no more dangerous then the pole or the ground itself, before even grasping the true purpose. (Mom called it a "ground line".)
 
Mothers seem to know everything. Although extremely unlikely, especially on local streets, guy wires nevertheless could, under certain circumstances, carry small currents (if grounding is poor, for example, and their is an induced voltage in the guy from the powerline, you can become the path to ground if you touch the guy wire). Such currents are typically small, but children are less tolerant to small currents than adults. As a matter of safe practice, stay away from powerlines and their supporting structures. With electricity, you never know...don't fool with it.
 
PhanthomJay said:
Mothers seem to know everything. Although extremely unlikely, especially on local streets, guy wires nevertheless could, under certain circumstances, carry small currents (if grounding is poor, for example, and their is an induced voltage in the guy from the powerline, you can become the path to ground if you touch the guy wire). Such currents are typically small, but children are less tolerant to small currents than adults. As a matter of safe practice, stay away from powerlines and their supporting structures. With electricity, you never know...don't fool with it.

My uncle had that problem with the grounding on his trailer that he parked by his house. Sometimes you used to be able to feel current flowing through your body if you touched it.
 
PhanthomJay said:
Mothers seem to know everything. Although extremely unlikely, especially on local streets, guy wires nevertheless could, under certain circumstances, carry small currents (if grounding is poor, for example, and their is an induced voltage in the guy from the powerline, you can become the path to ground if you touch the guy wire). Such currents are typically small, but children are less tolerant to small currents than adults. As a matter of safe practice, stay away from powerlines and their supporting structures. With electricity, you never know...don't fool with it.

So that is a particularly poor place to make kids wait for a school bus.
 

Similar threads

High School Can high voltage static electricity cause a shock through a power cord?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
Undergrad What Caused the Buzzing Sensation Near the Power Line?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
13K
What if Gravity could be controlled?
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
4K
Kerbal Space Program - Rocket Design Basics
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
10K