Electricity and Children

Last week we learned about electricity! We learned about current flowing through wires when a change in voltage is present in a closed circuit. Here is a picture of a tag that I found on my extension cord.  There are several conditions the tag advises not to do during use of the cord.

- Keep Away from Water: Water can conduct electricity. This means that the current flowing through the wire can also travel through water. If the water happens to be touching you, you will get shocked.

- Do not use when wet: (see above).

- Keep Children and Pets Away from Cord: Both children and pets have several things in common, but most notably in this situation, inexperience and teeth. Children do not know how to handle the cord, thus if they touch any exposed wire, current will flow through them. The current will flow through them, from the outlet of 120V into the ground,with 0V. The child will get shocked and so will the animal. Aside from not being able to handle the cord properly, the child/pet may think the cord is food! (probably noodle-like). Eating the cord will cause the child/pet to touch exposed/metallic parts and they will get shocked.

- Covering the cord with metals won't do anything if the plastic covering is still on the wire, however if any exposed wiring touches the metal, the metal will have a current flowing through it, becoming potentially dangerous.

There are several other conditions but they all relate to what not to do with a cord. These guides are to prevent one from getting shocked by the cord. Now that we have finished the chapter of electricity, I can understand the labels I am reading on various electronic devices!