Question

State two circumstances when one may get an electric shock from an electrical gadget.What preventive measure must be provided with the gadget to avoid it?

Answer 1

Hint:Electrical damage occurs when an electric current passes through the body and causes a physiological response. The severity of the damage is determined by the current density, tissue resistance, and contact time. Small currents may go undetected or cause a mild tingling sensation. A shock from a low, otherwise innocuous current might startle a person and cause damage when they jerk away or fall. Stronger currents may cause discomfort or agony, while more powerful currents may trigger involuntary muscular spasms, preventing the individual from escaping the electrical source.

Complete step by step solution:
In the following two scenarios, an electrical device may provide an electric shock:
i) If the fuse is placed in the neutral wire rather than the live wire and an excessive current flows in the circuit due to a failure, the fuse burns, the current stops flowing in the circuit, but the appliance remains connected to the high potential point of the supply via the live wire.
If a person touches the malfunctioning equipment in this scenario, he risks receiving an electric shock since the person will come into contact with the live wire through the appliance.
The fuse must always be connected in the live wire as a precaution.
ii) The appliance obtains the high potential of the live wire when the live wire of a defective appliance comes into direct contact with its metallic casing owing to a breach in insulation after prolonged usage (or otherwise). Because current passes from his body to ground, a person contacting it will receive a shock.
Preventive action:
The electric equipment should be properly 'earthed.'


Note: When a bodily component comes into touch with electricity, a significant current passes through the person's tissue, causing electric damage. The most prevalent cause is contact with electrified wire or equipment. Direct contact may not be essential in situations when high voltages are present, such as atop a power transmission tower, because the voltage may "jump" the air gap to the electrical equipment.