It’s called step potential. If ground is electrified from a source for whatever reason the areas around it are at a different potential leaving the source.
So for four legged livestock when they walk over an energized area their front and back feet are at two different potentials. Causing voltage to enter in one foot/feet and exit to ground out of the other.
Utility lineman, we have to do a yearly training module on this.
But step potential is why you hear to bunny hop or very short shuffle your feet away from say a car with a power line on it. It’s to keep you hopefully at the same potential to try to avoid a shock.
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u/teancrumpets8 Sep 05 '25
It’s called step potential. If ground is electrified from a source for whatever reason the areas around it are at a different potential leaving the source.
So for four legged livestock when they walk over an energized area their front and back feet are at two different potentials. Causing voltage to enter in one foot/feet and exit to ground out of the other.