Invisible wrote:
>>> Why do overhead cables never flap around in the wind? Come to think 
>>> of it, why doesn't rain short out power cables?
>>
>> Those cables are pulled rather tight, also take a close look at high 
>> tension wires, they'll have some funny looking thing hanging off of 
>> them that looks like some sort of paddle, This also helps with the 
>> wind. And they're too far apart to short out in the rain. Fresh water 
>> is actually not a great conductor, and air is even a worse conductor. 
>> Submerge them in salt water, and they'll short for sure.
> 
> Rain water isn't chemically pure. (Depending on pollution levels.) Once 
> the pylon gets wet, it's entire surface is covered in a continuous sheet 
> of water, which also covers all of the cables. So why don't they short out?
> 

Right, but think of the impedance and the distances the electricity 
needs to travel. It's not chemically pure, and may be mildly conductive, 
but the layer is thin, and not continuous. There's enough resistance to 
current that it doesn't flow.

> 
> [Actually, apparently peppers are hot due to an antifungal toxin...]

Hmm, and I thought it was to discourage mammals from eating them, since 
some mammals can actually destroy the seeds before they're "deposited"

> Seems plausible, I guess...


-- 
~Mike

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