> Electric misconceptions #2?

Electric misconceptions #2?

Posted at: 2015-01-07 
Assume that I am not in contact with ground surface but I am hanging on a overhead high voltage wire, Will I get a shock?

No. You haven't completed the circuit. Ever noticed birds sitting on power lines?

Depends on the voltage though. Birds can't sit on 132kV lines due to the induction

When a bird sits on a power line, there is a completed path through the bird's body, in parallel with the path through the wire, but the wire has much less resistance, so the current through the bird's body is very tiny. If you were to hang from a high-voltage wire by both hands, some electricity would pass through your arms and torso. The distance between your arms is quite a bit more than that between a bird's feet, so the potential difference between your two points of contact would be greater. Your resistivity might be similar to the bird's, but the cross-sectional area of the path through your arms could be hundreds of times greater than the cross-sectional area of the path through the bird's legs, while the path length might be only tens of times greater. Since R = rho*L/A, your overall resistance is probably less than the bird's, so you'll experience a greater current.

My short answer is, I wouldn't want to try it without seeing a compelling argument that it is safe.

nope..thats why birds can sit on wires

In theory, no, but I wouldn't try it.

Assume that I am not in contact with ground surface but I am hanging on a overhead high voltage wire, Will I get a shock?