Hello guys. Here we are again to learn yet another new thing that's totally unrelated to steemit. You know when we were younger...as children, we were given stern warnings not to play with electrical devices, not to put our fingers into live sockets or tamper with electric cables carrying electric current to our homes. We well understand the dangers of doing any of these — instant electrocution.
Coming from this background, it may have surprised you the first time you observed tens to hundreds of birds sitting comfortably on public power lines or squirrels running playfully along the wires. And you were like; *"what the hell? Are they getting shock?" And then there was no sign they were getting shocked. No feathers being tossed about by air current nor smell of roasted animals. And you would wonder; "Why are these animals not getting electrocuted? What do these creatures possess that make them perfectly safe?"
There are two major scientifically based reasons why this is so...
Birds are poor conductors of electricity
"Electricity flows by the movement of electrons through conductors. The copper wire in electrical wires is a great conductor of electricity. Copper allows electricity to flow easily along its surface." Source
Without free flow of electrons through a conductor, there would be no electricity. The body cells and tissues of the birds do not offer more free electrons than the copper wires along which electricity is already flowing. Hence, the electricity would rather continue to flow through the copper wire since its resistance is negligible and electrons are readily made available. Thus, the bird is bypassed while electricity continues its journey through the copper wires. This explains why the birds and squirrels appeared unperturbed.
No Voltage difference within a single wire
A difference in electrical potential must be generated before electrons can move and cause electricity to harm the birds. This is a primary requirement for flow of current. Normally, electrical current (otherwise called electrical potential) flows from a region of highest potential to a region of lowest potential. This is akin to dropping a ball on the side of a mountain. All things being equal, the ball would tend to fall down the mountain and wouldn't fall against the force of gravity.
Electricity flowing through a single power line at 35,000 volts will continue along the path of least resistance and bypass birds, because there's no difference in electrical potential, as both of the birds feet are on the same wire and the copper wire was designed to offer least resistance. Source
However, if the bird would touch the ground with one of its feet or mistakenly spread its wings such that they touch another live wire operating at a different electrical potential. This would create a change in voltage or electrical potential, causing electrons to flow and thus generating electricity, which may most likely kill the birds via electrocution. This obviously explains why utility wires are taken high in the air above easy reach of humans and wide space made between them.
Conclusion
From what we have done do far, it is now clear to us the reasons birds don't get electrocuted when they sit comfortably on live electric cables. One, they sit on a single wire having no difference in electrical potential, with bother of their feet. Two, their cells and tissues offer stronger resistance to flow of electricity than copper wires. These conditions are valid only if they birds continue to sit on such cables without touching another cable, or ground, that is having a different voltage potential. Thank you for reading.
References
- Why don't birds get electrocuted on electric wires?
- Why don't birds on power lines get electrocuted?
- Do birds get shocked when they sit on wires?
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