[Rasmussen]

Originally Posted by rof120

Stig: In short, it is not actually the Voltage that kills us, it's the Ampère.

- Hmmm, I wouldn’t go so far. Example: a car battery gives only 12 volts but is relatively powerful (it’s able to start even a heavy car engine, normally even in difficult conditions like freezing temperatures which make the oil almost solid). I don’t think anybody in the world ever was killed by the current (nor by the voltage) of such a car battery. If the voltage is too low no current is going to flow through a human body. In legal regulations about safety, voltages under 50 V (??? – I’m not sure – perhaps 30 V?) are considered innocuous On the other hand if your hand or any other part of your body has contact with some metallic part of some electrical equipment having a voltage of, say, 500 volts or more against the ground, you’re pretty sure to be killed or at least badly wounded. Over 1,000 V it’s virtually certain but I don’t know the real limits (and they vary according to circumstances like wet or dry ground and more).

Electric current always looks for the path of least resistance. Factors such as flooring, clothing or footwear and the moisture at the point of contact also influence the resistance of the human body. Bare feet on damp ground are extremely poor conditions for avoiding a fatal electric shock. An averaged value is usually used for body resistance. One calculates with 1000 ohms with a current flow from hand to hand or from hand to foot. According to Ohm's law, the strength of an electric shock results from the contact voltage and the resistance. For a contact voltage of 230 volts (with which most electrical devices work) and a body resistance of 1,000 ohms, the result is a flow strength of 230 milliamps. Even an electric shock of this magnitude can be fatal.