Re: Human Electrocution: How is the resistance not ridiculously high?

Tomás Ó hÉilidhe wrote:
I've been doing electronics for three years now but I don't understand
how a person can be electrocuted by touching one part of the circuit
in a mains supply.

If I hold one lead of an ohmmeter in my left hand, and the other in my
right hand, it registers the resistance to be approximately 2
megaohms, which is ridiculously high.
Now if I hold one lead in my hand, and dig the other into the grass,
it doesn't even register -- I may as well be holding the leads apart
in thin air.

Current = Voltage divided by Resistance

Current = 230 volts divided by 2 megaohms = 115 microamperes

115 microamperes is nowhere near enough to electrocute someone.

So lets say I stick a metal rod into the socket on the wall. The
current has to flow thru my hand, down to my foot, thru my cotton
sock, thru my shoe, thru the wooden floorboards, thru the concrete,
thru the clay down to the metal rod we call ground. Now excuse me, but
is that not a RIDICULOUS amount of resistance, up in the gigohms
somewhere?

It may sound like I'm denying that people get electrocuted -- I'm not,
I realise that people do get electrocuted. But I can't for the life of
me understand how enough current can flow, given the massive
resistances that are involved.

Can anyone enlighten me?

Do the calculation again but with the other hand on the water tap or the grounded case of an appliance.

--
Regards,

John Popelish
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Human Electrocution: How is the resistance not ridiculously high?
    ... Current = Voltage divided by Resistance ... 115 microamperes is nowhere near enough to electrocute someone. ... So lets say I stick a metal rod into the socket on the wall. ... current has to flow thru my hand, down to my foot, thru my cotton ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Human Electrocution: How is the resistance not ridiculously high?
    ... Current = Voltage divided by Resistance ... 115 microamperes is nowhere near enough to electrocute someone. ... IIRC, the main difference between the two types of meter is that the digital ones tend to measure the voltage drop over the resistor when connected to a constant current source, while analog ones tend to to be a battery ... Factors I've noted that affect skin resistance is your emotional state, area of contact (2 leads when compared to, say, two washer with leads soldered to them), to name a few... ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Human Electrocution: How is the resistance not ridiculously high?
    ... Current = Voltage divided by Resistance ... 115 microamperes is nowhere near enough to electrocute someone. ... current has to flow thru my hand, down to my foot, thru my cotton ... Not at several hundred volts. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Human Electrocution: How is the resistance not ridiculously high?
    ... Current = Voltage divided by Resistance ... 115 microamperes is nowhere near enough to electrocute someone. ... the human body is generally not a linear resistance. ... A simple multimeter will not give you a meaningful measure. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Human Electrocution: How is the resistance not ridiculously high?
    ... I've been doing electronics for three years now but I don't understand ... Current = Voltage divided by Resistance ... So lets say I stick a metal rod into the socket on the wall. ... sufficient charge has to flow through your body to kill you. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
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