On 09/07/09 02:24, scott wrote:
>> Does voltage even matter in this case? Isn't amperage the important bit?
>
> The current (amperage) in the cable is pretty meaningless if we're
> talking about accidents when someone or something touches the cable.
> Whether there is zero or ten million amps going along the cable, when
> you (or some object) touches it, it is the voltage of the cable that
> will determine the severity of the outcome.

	Not really. It's also the amount of available charge. If you get a 10 
kV shock, but the supply had very few Coulombs in it, you'll barely feel it.

	But if you get a 100 V shock with an almost limitless supply of 
Coulombs, you certainly will feel it, and in rare occasions, die because 
of it.

	Current *is* a factor. Certainly: Voltage will dictate an upper bound 
on the current. However, if there's not enough charge to maintain that 
upper bound, then voltage becomes irrelevant because it can't sustain 
that current.

-- 
"I find you guilty!", said the judge with conviction.

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