Answer to Question #76915 in Electric Circuits for Kate Hill

Question

An operator will not have an electric shock when he is using his wet hands to hold an electrical device that has short circuited that is not grounded. True or false and equations to solving this

Answer 1

Conditions of the question cannot be interpreted unambiguously
Two interpretations are possible

1) One phase short circuited to housing of electrical device, and operator touches it by wet hands
In this situation two cases are possible:
1.1) if operator have electrical contact to ground, he is damaged by electrical current, that flows from housing of device through both hands and through operator’s body to ground
1.2) if operator have no contact to ground, he is not damaged, because both hands have the same potential of phase, no potential difference no current

2) Two different phases are short circuited (or Phase to Neutral),and operator touches by one hand to one phase and by second hand to other phase (or Neutral). In this case operator damaged by current, because he is connected in parallel to short circuit, so phase-to-phase or phase-to-neutral voltage is applied to him, and current flows through operator. Of course voltage drop in wires due high short circuit current reduces phase-to-phase or phase-to-neutral voltage, but operator is damaged whatever