Why does a bird while sitting on an electric pole not feel shock
Asked by | 6th Apr, 2011, 12:52: AM
Dear student
When the bird perches on a live wire, her body becomes charged--for the moment, it's at the same voltage as the wire. But no current flows into her body. A body is a poor conductor compared to copper wire, so there's no reason for electrons to take a detour through the bird. More importantly, electrons current flow from a region of high voltage to one of low voltage. The drifting current, in effect, ignores the bird.
But if a bird (or a power line worker) accidentally touches an electrical "ground" while in contact with the high-voltage wire, she completes an electrical circuit. A ground is a region of approximately zero voltage. The earth, and anything touching it that can conduct current, is the ground.
Hope this helps.
Regards
Team
Topperlearning
Answered by | 6th Apr, 2011, 11:22: AM
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