The discussion revolves around the interaction between static electricity and a dry cell battery, particularly focusing on the implications of holding a wire connected to a battery without grounding. Participants explore the effects on voltage and the potential for current flow when touching the battery terminal.
Participants do not reach a consensus, as there are multiple viewpoints regarding the implications of touching the battery terminal and the behavior of voltage and current in this scenario.
Participants express uncertainty about the definitions of voltage and the conditions under which measurements are taken, as well as the role of capacitance in the discussion.
Elsa1234 said:As it is said , if we hold the higher potential of a battery via a wire without touching the ground, some of the static electricity gets stored into us. Does that mean that the voltage of the higher potential reduces due to loss of charges.
By high potential , I mean higher than the potential of my body, the other terminal will go to my fingersNugatory said:First, you need to be clear on what you mean by the "voltage of the higher potential" - all voltage measurements are taken between two points, and the result of the measurement is the difference between the potential at those two points. So when you're talking about the "higher potential", that's higher than what?
In concrete terms... You're going to use a voltmeter to measure the voltage at the battery terminal that we've touched, see if the voltage is different before and after we touch the terminal. Every voltmeter has two leads, and one of them will of course go that battery terminal. Where will the other lead go?
Elsa1234 said:By high potential , I mean higher than the potential of my body
Does that mean that a bulb put instead of a voltmeter may light up though only very minutely and momentarily?Nugatory said:So you mean you're holding one lead while the other is connected to the battery terminal that you're about to touch? and you said "static electricity", so your body is electrically isolated from the ground? Yes, in that case the voltage difference between those two points will change when you touch the battery terminal.
Other questions that you might want to consider are: How does a voltmeter connected between you and the other battery terminal change when you touch the wire? How about a voltmeter connected between either battery terminal and the ground? And a voltmeter connected between you and the ground?
Elsa1234 said:Does that mean that a bulb put instead of a voltmeter may light up though only very minutely and momentarily?