在干燥的季節(jié)，當(dāng)我們的手碰觸到金屬、電線或是另一個人的身體，就會感到有股電流迅速流過我們的身體，伴隨著“啪”的一聲：被電到了。大家都知道干燥的季節(jié)容易起電，那為什么我們?nèi)祟悤@么容易被電到呢？下面這篇文章就來為您解答這個問題。
Electricity shocks us, because it is an outside
force that interferes with the internal electricity our bodies' nervous systems
generate.
To fully understand why the chance encounter of these two electrical forces
results in a shock to our systems, we must first understand the fundamentals of
electricity itself.
In scientific terms, electricity is considered a fundamental force, one that
is extremely basic, and has been in existence since the beginning of time.
Further simplified, it is so basic, that it defies explanation, and is Mother
Nature's way of saying "Because I said so"!
Electricity comprises positive and negative charges, opposite charges attract
each other, and similar charges repel each other. Those charges attracted to
each other can be separated, with the end product being potential energy, that
is, energy that will be released as
voltage, should the two reunite. We pay electric companies to
separate the positive and negative charges for us, so that we have electrical
energy at our disposal.
In order for the charges to reunite, and for the potential energy to be
released as voltage, a conductor, a
channel that they can flow through, is needed. Insulators, such as paper and glass make poor
conductors, while wire and water make excellent conductors. Unfortunately, since
the human body consists primarily of water, it too provides a superb conductor
for electrical energy, or voltage.
If, by chance, outside electrical energy enters our bodies, now conductors,
we will be shocked when the voltage encounters, and interferes with, the
internal electrical energy our nervous systems produce. The shocks to our
bodies, and the amount of damage the electricity does to them, depends upon the
voltage our bodies are subjected to, upon its level of energy, and upon how much
our bodies resist the flow of the electrical energy.
When we are shocked, a variety of things may occur, none of which is
desirable. Our muscles may twitch, we may experience problems in the nerve
centers that control our breathing, or we may experience problems with our heart
rhythms. The worst case scenario from being shocked is death.
voltage: 電壓，伏特?cái)?shù)
conductor: 導(dǎo)體
insulator: 絕緣體
（英語點(diǎn)津 Annabel 編輯）
