Why birds sitting on electric wires don't get electrocuted shocked
We all have come across times when some one asks us to be cautious around some wire, saying don't touch it you might get shocked. Always we do ensure to not have wet hands when handling electrical appliances and sockets.
Then we come across sights where the birds or even at times squirrels remain or walk on the wires carrying electrical current without any trouble. We don't see them go WOOOOOOOF like we see in some cartoons. We do see it sometimes which is not so common.
Do they some kind of magic through which they create an additional current proof aura around them?? Do they??
Well short answer is NO, the magic though exists in the principles of electricity, how electricity works and how current is carried through them. Let's try to understand this phenomenon below.
Electricity has electrons which move through a medium called as conductor. When electrons move we call it as current being flowing through say wires. Now electrons will always choose a path of least resistance like we do when driving. Instead of going through traffic it goes through where it will find least resistance.
Also another point that is taken into consideration for the movement of electrons is, it will always move from a higher electrical potential to a lower electrical potential. Remember electricity is always grounded to close the circuit. The electric poles are a means to do the same.
Now coming back to the question, why do birds don't get shocked. So when we see the birds on the wire we most of the times see them on a single wire right? That wire will always have same electric potential and since birds are staying on the same wire there is no or very negligible difference for the electrons to consider the path to move through bird.
They will continue moving through the wire as mentioned above through path of least resistance since the material of wire is a better conductor of electricity than the bird.
Now you would ask why humans get electrocuted when they touch the wire i.e. even if they touch single wire.
That is because when they are touching the wire, they are also touching the ground. So the electrons present in the wire get a new motivation to move through a place of high potential i.e. the wire to a place of low potential i.e to the ground. Now the electrons have a medium as well through the human body to do that.
That is why human beings when they do that without any insulation, they get electrocuted.
Also in the case of birds, if accidentally birds place one leg on a different wire or the pole, then as well there will be a difference in electrical potential causing the electrons to go full speed and zap the bird and make it go WOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!
Bear in mind there is always some resistance which the body provides. How much of a resistance the body has, the voltage difference is what decides the current flow. Checkout for Ohm's law which says,
Current = Voltage / Resistance (something we can discuss some other time...)
Yes, we can ask a human hang on to the wire by jumping through helicopter and see if things work. However if mistakenly the second wire is touched with a different potential then the person will also go WOOOOOFFFFF.
So we came to know, that the magic is not with the birds however its with how the electrons move
There is much more to how things work with the electrons, we can take that it maybe some other time.
Until then, remember to let the curious mind take it's course. Let the curiosity talk!
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