HAVE YOU EVER TASTED AN ELECTRIC SHOCK ?

WHAT IS ELECTRICITY?

HAVE YOU TASTED AN ELECTRIC SHOCK? DO YOU KNOW WHY DO WE GET ELECTRIC SHOCK?

We are all aware of the word electricity or I should just say that we are all very very familiar with electricity. Of course we all know about Tesla and Edison and their fight between the forms of electricity i.e AC and DC.

Well there's a wide range of use for these forms of electricity. Electricity is being used in almost every possible way. Both the forms, AC as well as DC have a variety of uses  like, for example AC is being used in almost all electrical and industrial appliances. On the other hand, DC or Direct Current is being used in almost all electronic devices. (ELECTRONIC DEVICES ARE DEVICES WHICH USE SEMICONDUCTOR CHIPS FOR THEIR BASIC CONSTRUCTION). 

It is needless to give you the information about AC and DC and their uses and properties as the name itself suggests the meaning. Also there are great bloggers and professors who've already informed you about the two. So this is not my job, my job is to give you something that you don't  know.
In fact I would provide you with something more interesting.

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN EXPOSED TO AN ELECTRIC SHOCK?

Okay now this is a senseless question, of course we all have experienced shock.

CAN YOU GUESS WHY?

DID YOU EVER WONDER WHY DO YOU GET A SHOCK EVERYTIME YOU TOUCH A LIVE WIRE (Bacically the red one) OR A NEUTRAL WIRE (Basically the black or yellow one), BUT THATS NOT THE CASE WITH THE WIRES OF BATTERY OR CELL, BASICALLY ANY DC VOLTAGE SOURCE ?

Well many of you won't know or perhaps you might know but you you never dragged you attention towards the reason!!

And did you ever notice that while you place both the wires of the DC source in your mouth you experience a mild current no your tongue? Did't you try? Well then give it a try before reading this further(remember that voltage should be less than 9 volt or else you would get a greater shock).

CAN YOU GUESS THE REASON?

Well many of you think that the primary reason is the voltage level or level of energy from the sources. Well but that reason is valid only for the extent of the shock you experience while subjected to AC or DC.

But thats not the reason for getting a shock in case of touching any wire of an AC source and not getting in case of touching any terminal or wire of the DC source. 

INTERESTED IN ELECTRONICS??

Electronics Project spares with breadboard, 30 circuits eBook CD + videos

CLICK HERE

Well here is the reason. When you are subjected to only one terminal of the DC voltage source, you are experiencing only the voltage of the source and not the current. Also you should know that you are getting energy only when you touch the positive terminal, during the touch of the negative terminal you are not at all experiencing any voltage or energy since the voltage the negative terminal has is almost zero or negligible. This difference is known as the Potential Difference, which is necessary condition for electric current flow. 

And when you touch both the terminals together to your saliva wet tongue [ which is capable of experiencing the mildest is electric current ]

you complete the circuit and hence completing the Ohm's Law (which says that we produce current from voltage on applying resistance in the flowing path of the voltage.). Here the resistance offered is the tongue. So the conclusion is that its the current that gives us the shock and not the voltage.

By now I presume that you've understood why do we get the shock in case of AC even when we touch only one of the two terminals of the AC source.

NO!

Okay then here's the reason, AC is a pulsating DC or a current that is alternating i.e it keeps on changing its polarity at any instance of time.

Any of the two terminals of the AC source has both positive as well as negative polarity which changes from one polarity to other at the gap of a fraction of a millisecond which is practically zero.  

So here when you touch only one terminal the circuit gets completed and you provide the resistance by the touch which gives the experience of shock.

let me know how was your experience and your feedback about this article in the comment section..

any correction or advice  or request is heartily welcomed.