Question about electricity

[matk]

Hello, I have a question about electricity. Suppose I'm well insulated from ground and neutral, and the live wire of mains comes in touch with a wound in my finger, will this potential interfere with body voltages, hearth for example, or it will only go to its circuit return path ?

Thanks!

[stj]

you will feel it - if thats what your asking - your body is an antenna to ground through the air.
now if you where in africa or arizona during the summer with very dry air it will be less.
but in european humidity your gonna feel it and i can tell you from multiple experiences that 230v with hit hard!

[matk]

The question is can electricity go through return paths that don't belong to its circuit ?
For example if your body is completely insulated from air, ground, neutral, etc. of that circuit and the live wire comes in contact with an open wound, will the 230v potential interfere with the many potential difference that are in the body or it will not ?

[stj]

if your in a vacume and therefore already dead then it will not do anything,
but as i said - air is a resistive return path to ground.

thats why lightning discharges static to the ground - the air conducts.
maybe watch this?
https://www.youtube.com/user/msadaghd/videos
https://www.youtube.com/user/bigclivedotcom/videos
specially
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wR6g38Pxwog
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5R-KBa18ME

[Ihandyrepair]

You should ask yourself,
is worth the risk to work on live wires?
just remember accident can happen
i did in the past where I replaced light switches without turning the breaker off
just one switch 2 wires right? Why not

i know I was saving few minutes
but then I realize I am taking a risk where the live wire could touch the metal frame or something making short or me accidentally zap myself

I look this way
if I am 100% I can do it safely then I might try
like only 1 switch, plastic box

if it is more than 1 switch in the box
then no
too many risk

[redwire]

It's best to not rely on your body being "completely insulated". That is a myth. And who works with only one hand?

I saw a low power Tesla coil running, sparks and streamers arcing over to a person who is "completely isolated" - they are off the floor on a plastic platform. This is not DC but low current high frequency AC with the high voltage causing air to break down, this is what an arc is.
Seems all OK, just fun right?

The HV arc to the guy from the TC also jumped from him to the mains power transformer and he got electrocuted.
Once air is breaking down in an arc, it is low resistance so he got mains across him arm-arm despite being on a insulated platform and the HV being low current. The arc acted like a wire.