Question

(a) Explain why, it is more dangerous to touch the live wire of a mains supply rather than neutral wire.
(b) Why is it safe for birds to sit on naked power lines fixed atop tall electric poles?

Answer 1

(a)
In an A.C. power supply, the wire that carries alternating current is called live wire. So, it is dangerous to touch live wire. Neutral wire is grounded at the power station; therefore, it is not dangerous to touch neutral wire.
(b)
When a bird sits on a naked power line, it only touches the power line and nothing else. The alternating current in the wire doesn’t have any path to flow through the bird to anywhere else. In the absence of a path for the current to flow, the bird remains safe.