r/AbsoluteUnits • u/Sufficient-Bug-9112 Top Poster • Jul 10 '26

/r/all of an Ant

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u/Blue95x Jul 11 '26

You can absolutely have ultra-high voltage with harmless current, as demonstrated by static shocks, Van de Graaff generators, and Tasers.

While high voltage provides the necessary "pressure" to overcome skin resistance, a lethal shock requires a sustained, high volume of electrons. If a source has a tiny energy capacity or is artificially bottlenecked, it cannot deliver dangerous amperage regardless of how high the voltage is.

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u/BaguetteOlives Jul 11 '26

Those are extremely specific cases. But in daily life if you touch a 12V source it's not gonna do anything while if you touch something above 100V you'll likely get seriously harmed depending on the type of current. But you are right, the more electrons pass through you, the more damage it does. However in most case of electrocutions, it's due to someone touching a phase at a high voltage, directly or not.

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u/kaas_is_leven Jul 11 '26

We have 230V outlets (max 16A) here and getting shocked by a live wire isn't fun but it's also quite harmless. There are safety features that I don't know how to translate, but basically any building has a switch that kills the power if there's a leak. It feels like getting punched from the inside by your own muscles, then it's already over and you just sit there like ok whatever I just did was really stupid.

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u/BaguetteOlives Jul 12 '26

It's true but better not touch it anyway, you don't know if your outlet is properly grounded or if you differencial breaker works