Electric Safety From A To Zap

[Music] if you go unlike this nine lives will hardly be enough oh i know i know it's making me quite nervous those zaps are going to get you if you don't watch out yes it's awful they seem to hit me when i least expect it they wouldn't if you knew what to look for i've been meaning to read about it but i've been too busy trying to catch a mouse well first you have to understand that electricity is invisible except when it jumps electricity is energy looking for a place to go energy yeah go power zoom zap zowie remember to see how awful someone could get hurt not if we use it right there's all kinds of energy uh we need energy to make things happen to make things happen [Music] yeah and energy is power [Applause] the power to do things [Applause] [Music] to move things energy makes things work machines and stuff yeah we use electricity for energy we use gasoline for energy you know it's a fuel so is wood and coal and oil and natural gas they're all energy fuels food is our fuel where we get our energy for play and all those other things we do it even takes energy to think look i can make the fan go around with my own energy wouldn't it be easier to plug it in and let electric energy do the work just like it does in all the other appliances and gadgets in our house amazing how can all that energy hide in such tiny little holes it doesn't oh then where does it come from from a power plant through wires in the wall when you plug in something the energy flows through the wires to the fan motor feeding it the strength to turn the fan around why doesn't the energy come out these other holes it's there but it doesn't do anything until there is some place for it to go like don't get too close you'll have to learn to be more careful i know i know electric energy is a good traveler that's why it's such a useful and unusual kind of energy it travels easily through metal that's why wires are made of metal and it travels easily through the ground or through things that are wet or anything with a lot of water in it you mean like trees and growing things for people or animals animals yes like you and like a good traveler it takes a shortcut follows an easier path whenever it has a chance then how do they keep it in the wire it's only possible because electric energy can't travel through some kinds of things like glass or rubber or plastic so we wrap electric wires with rubber or plastic to keep the energy from going where we don't want it to go so it can't take a shortcut through the ground or something wet or me right and that's important most of the wires in our house are actually two or more wires each protected with a rubber or plastic covering to keep the energy flowing through the separate wires if this covering is broken or wears off you get a oh dear if a wire is broken and two open ends are close together the electric energy may be strong enough to jump the space then some of the energy will make heat that can start a fire oh i'll throw water on it and put it down don't don't you dare remember electric energy likes to take a shortcut through water or cats then what do we do first make sure there is no electric energy flowing near the fire then put it out electrical energy is carried through our town in a system that's like a tree with the power plant at the base the power plant sends all its energy through big powerful wires to places called substations in different neighborhoods those are the places that have signs saying danger high voltage what does that mean it means stay away or you might get zapped all the wires and things around substations can be very dangerous from substations powerful wires branch out down streets to our homes and schools and other places then smaller wires branch out inside our houses the system in our house is like a smaller tree from the main switch box where it comes in wires run around through our walls to all the plugs and switches and lights how does the switch do that when the switch is turned on it has metal inside that becomes part of the wire path that runs inside the wall to the light when it's turned off it breaks the path this stops the energy because it has no place to go the wires in our houses are not as big or as powerful as the branch lines outside and the largest wires the trunk lines that carry the energy from the power plant to the substations are so powerful that the wires have to be far apart and kept far enough away from the pole with insulators so that the energy just can't find a path to the pole oh what was that some careless or selfish person shot at the insulator with a gun now there's a danger that the energy can jump to the pole and find a path to the ground and zap somebody hey want to get zapped just getting the kite well don't it's dangerous how about that bird why doesn't he get zapped because electric energy follows the easiest path going through the bird is a detour that doesn't go to the ground or any large thing that attracts energy but if you're in a tree and get too near the wire you're offering an easy path to the ground [Music] maybe i was just born unlucky it would have been worse if you'd been any closer to the wire i know i know i wish i could just forget about zaps pretend they don't even exist oh no do think about them think zap every time you start to climb up near the power wires you think i should yes and think zap whenever you're near a substation or see a sign that says danger high voltage all right i'll try and whenever you're in a bath or standing on a wet floor think zap before you touch a switch or try to plug in anything yes i'll do it and when there's a thunderstorm zap before you go in the water or under a tree oh of course and whenever you're around anything electrical that looks damaged or that you don't understand think zap before you touch it oh i will i will but the main thing is be alert be careful don't let curiosity zap the cat and remember electrical energy is always looking for a shorter path sure you don't become the path after all who wants to be a zap you