• Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org
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    1 year ago

    I got shocked by those in Oregon while biking regularly when I lived there. Trick is to touch the metal frame with your legs and hand as you go under and it doesn’t hurt

      • Shikadi@lemmy.sdf.org
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        1 year ago

        Then you probably won’t get shocked. It’s actually kind of interesting how it happens, it’s because of your body’s position as it passes through the electromagnetic field. Passing through the field generates a charge, but since your head is closer than your feet to the wires, and the field strength decreases with radius, you end up with more charge at the top of your body than at the bottom. Touching your bike frame provides a path from one part to the other (and perhaps to the air) which is how you get shocked in the first place, but if your frame is carbon fiber and there’s no path, I would expect the charge to dissipate on its own fairly quickly.

        It’s been like 6 years since I looked this up though so my understanding may have rotted a little