Of electricity and other things

Of electricity and other things …….

 

The electrician arrived this morning to install my mother’s new hob. A fantastical new device that works through induction. It is a completely flat plate with four rings which do not get particularly hot to the touch, but are extremely efficient conductors of heat. I was making polite conversation with the fitter, whilst boiling the kettle for his cup of tea, when I remembered the light switch in the lounge.  Every time I touch it I get an electric shock and yet no one else, except my mother, can feel it. The switch is surrounded by a copper plate, unlike the others in the house which are made of the more common plastic variety.  He was struggling to read the instructions for use, so I walked over to the hob and showed him how it works. I can’t really take credit for any superior knowledge since I had used a similar model at my brother’s house once before. He thought the hob was not working because he could not see the heat on the plates. We then both realized that we needed to place a saucepan with water over the plate to see if the induction was working.  Immediately I touched the handle of the saucepan I could feel the tingle of electricity. I mentioned this and he said this was normal and not to worry, though he could not personally feel anything.

 

When he had completed the hob installation, I lead him to the lounge and he placed his hand on the “leaking” switch. Typically, of course, he could feel nothing there either. However, since both my mother and I could feel something, and to humor us, he went to get his electricity detector. Sure enough it lit up and he agreed it was quite dangerous and should be changed. We all had a good laugh at my extra sensory skills and he returned to the kitchen to collect his things.

 

Feeling quite proud of myself for such electrical devining, I asked if he could place his detector on the saucepan handle. Sure enough, it lit up. Again, my mother could also feel it. However, this time, I had an idea. If I hold my hand away from the hob would I also be able to sense (feel) the electricity. Yes! I could feel the tingle about 6 inches away from the handle of the pan. Placing the electricity detector in the same place, it also lit up. Hey Presto! At last my invisible skills had been validated by science.  There were indeed electrical currents passing through the air. Not enough to kill anyone, but something was definitely there. How marvelous, I thought. Now I can use this as an example to convince skeptics of the existence of energy fields around us, even if we can’t see or even feel them, they are definitely there.