How does rubber stop electricity from hitting or killing you and how can you make it work and when you give me an answer that excatly works and can you give me a page of information about science?

Answer 1

The reason rubber stops electricity is because it is an insulator. Everything in the world can be separated into two groups (for convenience sake) Insulators - don't conduct electricity; and Conductors - let electricity go through them. Metals are conductors, plastic, isn't. This is why wires are insulated with plastic whilst the metal inside is usually copper. The reason we have that is because electricity is dangerous to us. We are conductors. Some conductors are better than others. The reason we use metal in wires and not water, for instance, is that water is a poor conductor compared to copper. But the more salt or dirt or things you put into the water the better at conducting it becomes. So, when it's thunder and lightning the safest place is in a car with dry tyres and not under an umbrella with a metal frame. Nylon clothes give us static shocks as nylon is a plastic and so gathers static until we conduct it to the ground or onto a car's bodywork or onto someone else. Nylon socks rubbing over the carpet. The crackling noise and little flashes of light are like miniature lightning bolts. The crackling noise, like thunder, is because air is a poor conductor, so the static electricity has to try really hard to get through the air. That is why lightning bolts are so hot and burn people when they are struck.

I found this man interesting and he has his podcast thing on the BBC radio 5 where he answers questions just like this. http://www.abc.net.au/science/k2/ If you're interested.

LeDoucheBouche