Why Electricity Is Dangerous

Electricity – Useful but deadly?

Physics

Aliya Nourlan

We use electricity every day, but do we think about what price it comes to us?

Voltage

Voltage (p.d.), also called as potential difference, is an electrical element that is needed to make a current flow. Voltage is measured in volts (V).

The more units are connected in a circuit, the bigger potential difference becomes, outputting more current flows as a result.

High voltage

> 1000V

Low voltage

50–1000V AC or 120–1500V DC

Current

Current (amp, 1 coulomb/second) is a measure of electrical charge transferred per time, flow of electrons.

AC/DC (*not the metal band)

AC – alternate current

DC – direct current

AC and DC are two types of current used for conduction and transmission

If a person touches a working wire, with no protection on, they might not be able to let go off of it, because of the current’s affect on a human body. Currents that are less than 0.02 amps can make feelings from tingling to strong pain. The range of 0.03 to 0.07 can stop a person from breathing. The most dangerous currents are from 0.1 to 0.2 amps. These currents can kill a person, by affecting their heart, which stops blood from flowing to the rest of the body. However if the current goes through the right side of the body it is less likely to damage the heart (but still is dangerous,

If we wouldn’t use electricity we would save a lot of money! An electricity bill may be $30/month or even $100/month! An average cost is around $540 per year!

How to prevent the dangers of electricity

• Do not try to repair anything to do with electricity by yourself, unless you are a licensed electrician, since you might not have enough knowledge on how to solve a problem

• Check every extension cord for cracks, tears or any damage beforehand, or it might cause wires to heat up or rip

• Turn it off if not in use. This way you will just waste electricity and if left for too long, it might overheat.

• Make sure no one will step on/trip over the electrical cords. Not only it will harm a person that tripped but also might rip the wires and/or move the device, causing it to move/fall (and break)

• Make sure the electric devises are dry before using. You don’t want to cause any toxic gasses or a fire.

• Do not use extremely old wires. They might seem fine but are really worn out and shabby, again, causing it to rip/break or cause a fire.

• Do not use too much devises at once. You don’t want to overload the circuit, do you? Or it will cause it to fail completely