I understand basically that the current, or amps, are what cause harm, but based on Ohm’s law, V=IR, for the amps to be so low with such high voltage, the resistance must be very high. So why do you need such a high voltage in the first place? Wouldn’t that require a transformer to step up the voltage? And doesn’t such a high voltage create a safety risk, for instance if a conductor with lower resistance came into contact with the voltage source? If you want low amps as not to electrocute animals/people, would it not be easier to use lower voltage?
Just curious and trying to understand. Electricity is like magic to me.
In: Physics
It is not voltage that kills, it is current that kills.
Static electricity, what you get from dragging your feet across carpeting or not using a dryer sheet, can be 10,000 volts or higher. It can also hurt when you zap someone or touch a doorknob. It is not dangerous because there is no amperage (current flow).
An electric fence is much the same. It is high voltage, but there is very little current available to flow. Think of it as a water pipe with 10,000 psi, but only a trickle of water is available.
A little less simple: you need to use P= I*V when dealing with transformers. You cannot have a higher P on the output than on the input.
If your input is 100v at .1A (10w) and your output is 10,000v, you cannot produce more than 1mA
Even this assumes a perfect system. In reality, you will have losses in the transformer.
Edit: to whoever down voted me: learn more about how transformers work and why Ohm’s law is not the correct formula to answer this question.
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