# Electric shock while standing on the carpet **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 13, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132 "2013-08-13T14:23:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Pushpa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de0a6/32.png) [@Pushpa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushpa)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/1 "2013-08-13T14:23:57Z")
Hi, Will i feel the electric shock/ electrocuted while standing on a carpeted floor barefooted with hands touching the electric socket? ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/2 "2013-08-13T15:33:31Z")
If the carpet is regular 'ol nylon, and is clean and dry, you probably won’t feel a thing. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/3 "2013-08-13T16:00:43Z")
you could feel a shock. something like this is an all depends. there are circumstances where it makes your chances of dying small. even if insulated from an electrical ground (a good thing in this case) you could still get a tingle or pain in your arm. ---
**Author:** ![newme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e0b2c6/32.png) [@newme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newme)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/4 "2013-08-13T16:42:52Z")
The OP says “hands”, which means the current could go in one hand, fry the heart, and travel out the other hand. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/5 "2013-08-13T18:20:05Z")
It depends on what kind of carpet it is, too. As Crafter\_Man indicated, your basic nylon carpet doesn’t conduct electricity very well. But there are also anti-static carpets which are often installed in workplace environments (especially if there are a lot of computers or bits of electronic equipment present). They look and feel a lot like a regular carpet but they are electrically conductive and would provide a ground path for any electrical shock hazard. You probably wouldn’t be barefoot at work, but if you have electrically conductive shoes you could have an issue. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/6 "2013-08-13T20:02:34Z")
It is quite possible to feel a shock even if the rest of you is completely insulated. If one sticks a single finger in a light socket and the finger touches both the bottom and side contacts, a painful shock will ensue. Likewise if a finger closes the gap between the two blades of a half-inserted plug. The 60 hz frequency of the AC is quite palpable in these cases. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/7 "2013-08-13T20:14:07Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > …there are also anti-static carpets which are often installed in workplace environments (especially if there are a lot of computers or bits of electronic equipment present). They look and feel a lot like a regular carpet but they are electrically conductive and would provide a ground path for any electrical shock hazard. You probably wouldn’t be barefoot at work, but if you have electrically conductive shoes you could have an issue. Yea, some some static-dissipative floors are too conductive, and may be a hazard in certain installations. [Here](http://www.staticworx.com/assets/pdf/specifier-article-specifying-static-free-floors.pdf) is a paper that addresses the issue. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/electric-shock-while-standing-on-the-carpet/666132/8 "2013-08-13T20:33:35Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#): > > It is quite possible to feel a shock even if the rest of you is completely insulated. If one sticks a single finger in a light socket and the finger touches both the bottom and side contacts, a painful shock will ensue. Likewise if a finger closes the gap between the two blades of a half-inserted plug. The 60 hz frequency of the AC is quite palpable in these cases. I could be wrong, but I \*think \*the OP’s scenario is this: 1. Barefoot. Dry feet. 2. Both feet standing on clean, dry, nylon carpeting in a typical home. 3. One finger touches the “hot” terminal on a 120 VAC receptacle, and nothing else. 4. Other than the two feet on the carpet and the one finger touching the hot terminal on the 120 VAC receptacle, no other body part is touching anything. If this is the scenario, then the OP probably won’t feel a thing. I say “probably,” because in a situation like this it has more to do with capacitance to ground than resistance to ground. If the capacitance to ground is higher than 0.02 μF, he will feel something.