why does the human body not feel an electric shock at low voltages such as 12 volts?

Answer 1

You don't feel voltage...you feel current (amps). Your body has a certain amount resistance to current (measured in ohms). Current is equal to voltage divided by resistance, so for a given voltage, as resistance goes up, current goes down. (try writing down the equation, it'll make more sense, it's hard to type fractions here...) Your body's resistance can vary a lot, mostly it depends on how wet your skin is. You can start to feel a current of about .001 amps, and because your body's resistance is usually at least 10-20 thousand ohms, you usually can't feel this voltage.

Answer 2

While both of them gave good answers in part, it is possible to feel 12 V too if you are sensitive (I am). I did not touch the spark plug but the wire coming out of the terminal from the battery. But it is not as painful or powerful as the shock from higher voltages since as rightly mentioned, the Voltage is needed to drive a current through our body which is having a fairly good resistance.

Very high voltages can be safely handled as for example from Tesla Coils when they are also high frequencies, since they tend to pass almost on the body surface due to what is called the skin effect. But DC and normal 50 or 60 cycle AC is a big No.

Answer 3

Power= volt x amper
750 watts=12 voltx I
I=62.5 Ampers shock the body.It means that we dont have such an Amper.

Answer 4

stick it on your tongue and you will feel it.... voltage is a measure of pressure. think of a pin point on a piece of paper.... you have to use enough pressure to pierce the paper... same thing with our skin... but add water with minerals (such as salt) and it takes less pressure. like a wet pice of paper...


AND DO NOT TOUCH YOUR SPARK PLUG WIRES!!!!!!! THEY ARE OVER 10,000 VOLTS!!!!! YOU WILL FEEL PAIN!!! MAYBE DEATH!!!!

Answer 5

If you want to feel 12 volts, grab hold of your spark plug wire while your car is running, its not necessarily the volts, its the amps.