What voltage and amps are and why high volts may not kill you but high amps will
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It is a bit complex for some people.but.
0.1A of current through your hart can kill some people. So yes. current kills.
But
Current does not want to go through your hart. It is not lurking to jump at you. It wants to run off in million directions and will take the easiest path. It must be forced through you with no better way to go to be dangerous. The “force” that moves it is voltage. If voltage is high enough than it can push the current/energy through allmost anything. Pushing through you is not trivial. To push 0.1A in from your arm, through your chest, then leg and then into the ground (assuming no protective gear) can take around 1000 Volts. Most of the electronics run on 5 volts. Cars run on 24 Volts. There can be 10A going through your PC but it is not going to kill you at low voltage. There is not enough force to push. 240V in your home is relatively safe too. You can die, but you have to be unfortunate or creative. (Still, don’t poke it. Likely to survive does not mean likely to be safe or likely to be fun)
1000V with a power behind it is what kills you on touch by that calculation.
With power behind it. What does that mean?
Current is basically an amount of energy. I might raise a small battery to 1000V but a small battery runs empty in a fraction of a second, before reaching 0.1A. And so it is safe.
It is also safe to hold the metal rod at the science fair that makes your hair stand up. There is (relatively) high voltage there. More than 1000V but not enough power to kill you.
So high voltage with power behind it kills you. But then again, that just creates (deadly) current.
Disclaimer: the resistance of the human body can be different and can change depending on … Anything really. It is also important how much of the body the energy has to go through. so do not quote me on the 1000V thing. if it does not go through a hart or the brain higher currents are survivable. and in some conditions less voltage is needed. 240V in the bath is enough. So … Don’t gamble. Wear protection.
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