What kills a person the volts or the amps? And how many can the human body take and still live?

Answer 1

combination of both, but mostly the amps.

Answer 2

Volts and amps always are found together.Volts are simply flow of electrons.Amps are the force that creates increased electron flow per given equal time intervals.When amps and volts are combined power is created called watts.W=VxI,I being the symbol for amps.It is the amps that will kill you not the volts.The capacity of the human to survive depends upon the circumstances.A person can survive a bolt of lightning and yet be killed by ordinary house current and vice versa..

Answer 3

The voltage isn't anywhere near as important as the current (Amps) A human regularly takes voltage sparks of 86,000 volts as found in static discharges but the current is negligible. People frequently survive millions of volts discharge when struck by lightning. Also you have to consider that the path that the electricity takes through the body will alter how deadly it is too.

Answer 4

Amps is what does the damage but Voltage is the force that forces the amps through your body. I don`t know how many amps it takes but it takes less if it goes through your brain or heart. It can burn you to death going through other parts of your body. The part of your body that it goes through depends on the part of your body that makes contact with the voltage source and the part of your body that makes contact with the return conductor. The least resistive path between those two points of your body is the path the current will take through your body. I think the Electric Chair is designed so that the voltage source is connected to the top the shaved head and the return conductor is connected somewhere around the ankles or feet Forcing current through at least part of the brain and part of the heart. Now for a direct answer to your question . The amps is what kills and the amount of amps required to kill depends on what part of your body the amps flows through.

Answer 5

It's the amps, but you need to have a high voltage to actually push those amps through your body. A car battery can put out over 500 amps, but it doesn't have enough voltage to overcome skin resistance.

Answer 6

It is basically understood that the current (amps) is the killer. Here's a couple of web sites to read and learn more.

Answer 7

I'm not a scientist..I'm an electrical contractor. I've been shocked countless times by 120/20. Only once by 277/20. All I can tell you is 277 hurts like a mofo!

Answer 8

volts hurt amps kill. .6 milliamps (or 6 milliamps, either way very miniscule) can kill someone, now thats accross the heart. you can still survive if you get shocked by an outlet but if the current hits your heart it will stop dead