[quote=spdrun]ucodegen —
As to double insulation, you’re talking about a device with a plastic case and with insulated connections inside. Coming in contact with a hot is extremely unlikely, so a ground isn’t needed.[/quote]Thats part of it, but remember my note about the ‘ground’ wire’s use for removing static electricity. The insulated chassis prevents movement of static electricity towards the user.
[quote=spdrun]Why do you get a shock when coming in contact with a 120V hot whilst wearing rubber shoes? The amount of current required to shock is very small, and no insulator is 100% perfect. Capacitative effects might also play a role. But I suspect it’s more the former than the latter.[/quote]Capacitive/Inductive relations play the entire role with AC. That is why there is NO return wire on high tension lines. The driven ground rods act as an immense capacitive sink. The amount of current resulting from the human to 120V hot line is not small. It is easily enough to stop the heart and can cause skin burns. Humans are a larger capacitance sink than a bird (over 100lbs vs just ounces). Take a look at videos of people servicing high voltage lines by helicopter. That arc that is generated is not a low voltage, low current arc. To keep safe, the people doing the service are in silver mesh suits (Gaussian shield) that are very conductive.
