Re: voltage vs amprage
The thing to remember is that it is the amount of current flowing through your body that is deadly not how much voltage is behind it. Where voltage comes into the picture is that it is the driving force that will force the current to flow through a resistance. Without voltage, there is no "push" to force the electrical current to flow.
Our bodies have a certain level of resistance but it varies greatly depending on many circumstances. Body composition, exterior moisture and contaminants such as sweat or dirt, and electrical point of contact (where you're measuring), all have an impact on the amount of resistance to electrical flow.
So, depending on the electrcial resistance your body represents at a given point in time, the amount of voltage required to drive enough current through your body to be deadly can vary dramatically. The amount of current required to cause problems with your heart is very small, somewhere in the vicinity of 6mA - 200mA (.006A - .2A)
This is why it is so important to be very cautious around electricity no matter what voltage level.
Another example of how dangerous current (without voltage, there is no current) can be is consider that an everyday 12v automobile battery has enough power to weld two pieces of metal together rather quickly. I know, I dropped an end-wrench across the posts one time and in a flash, it welded the wrench to the battery posts and partially melted the wrench before the battery fully discharged. To this day I do not know how the battery didn't explode. I was fortunate, indeed.
Bob
