The Tuesday 2005-03-22 at 10:57 -0000, Kevanf1 wrote:
Of course, our 220V is more
dangerous than your 110 (for electrocution, perhaps less for fire),
Hmmm, forgive me if I'm wrong here - and you guys certainly seem to be far more clued up where electrics are concerned but I have always thought it had nothing to do with the actual voltage but more to do with ampage? So if something was a million volts but only 1 milliamp it would not harm you? Or am I totally off track here?
It is, of course, current that kills you. However, to make enough current flow through a body, you need enough voltage to overcome its resistance. Thus, a 12V car battery is safe. But, if your fingers are wet with the acid, and each hand touches each of the two poles, you will most probably feel the current; and if you are unlucky enough that its path crosses your heart, you may die because of fibrillation: the heart fibers looses sync, I understand. So, yes, 1 milliamp on the proper place can kill you right there. And much more might give you a mighty burn and you survive: depends on the path the current takes and what organs it affects. One of the most dangerous is one leg and opposite hand: perhaps left hand and right leg, I think. -- Cheers, Carlos Robinson