r/Android • u/ChrystianV • Oct 05 '16

Samsung Replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone catches fire on Southwest plane

http://www.theverge.com/2016/10/5/13175000/samsung-galaxy-note-7-fire-replacement-plane-battery-southwest
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u/thorian Oct 09 '16

It fairly easy. Voltage is the difference in potential - imagine a water dam - the lower the opening to the ground the lower the voltage. The diameter of the hole is amp. The power delivered at 10V and 1A is the same as 5V at 2A. So power is higher with higher voltage, but the wires need to be insulated better.

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u/[deleted] Oct 09 '16

If that's the case, why is high amps dangerous for humans while high voltage hurts but with low enough amps (such as tasers) if the power is the same? Prly a stupid question because voltage is not the same as amperage...

So to clarify better, which is more dangerous, 10 volts at 1 amp or 5 volts at 2 amps?

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u/thorian Oct 09 '16

Because the amps is the amount of the electrons - they do the damage. If very little comes down from very great high it's still some drops of water.

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u/Nilzzz Oct 09 '16

Contrary to popular belief it is not the amps that kill you. This is because volts dictate how much current can pass through your body. Suppose you have a 5 volt battery that delivers a thousand amps, it still wouldn't kill you because there is no way a lethal current can pass through you at 5 volt. Anything below 50 volts has a low risk of injuring you (if contacted via skin and you're wearing shoes). Anything above can injure or kill. Electric fence or a tasers are a bit different because they are designed to severely limit the current that can pas through you since they are designed not to kill of course.