Ever wondered why a bird sitting  on an electrical transmission line doesn't experience shock?

I know that this concept is taught in school level but this is for those who forgot it.

​It is because, the movement of electrons, that is, current, is the ultimate thing which causes shock. It is the electric current that burns tissue and freezes muscles. Here, the current doesn't pass through the bird.

To know why, you have to understand these things:

1. Electric current flows through the path only when there is a potential difference between the starting and ending points of the path. Electric current doesn't occur by itself. We need voltage (potential difference) across a path. It is just similar to two buckets of water connected by a small pipe. The flow of water is similar to the flow of electrons, that is, current. It requires a difference in potential for the flow.

​​2. Electric current flows only when there is a closed path. But here is a closed path. It's bird's left leg, bird's body,bird's right leg and the wire makes it a closed path.

3. How to calculate the voltage drop? The formula for the voltage drop is V=IR. where, i is the current and R is the resistance of the conductor. Generally, the resistance of the transmission line between bird's legs is very negligible. Very close to zero. So, if the voltage at bird's left leg is 11,000 volts, then the voltage at bird's right leg is also 11,000 volts as there is no voltage drop in  pass through the bird.

 So, the potential difference V across the bird's legs is nearly equal to 0 (11,000-11,000), which makes  the current not to pass through the bird.

#AAYUSH BHARDWAJ