Question

A person notices a mild shock if the current along a path through the thumb and index finger exceeds 85.7 microamps. Determine the maximum allowable voltage without shock across the thumb and index finger with a wet skin resistance of 2175 milli-ohm?

Answer 1

Using Ohm's law and given values of current and resistance, the maximum allowable voltage across the thumb and index finger to prevent shock is approximately 0.19 volts.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the maximum allowable voltage without a shock across the thumb and index finger, we need to use Ohm's law (V = IR), where V is voltage, I is current, and R is resistance. The person's threshold of sensation for current is 85.7 microamps (85.7 x 10-6 amps), and the skin resistance when wet is 2175 milli-ohms (2175 x 10-3 ohms).

We can rearrange Ohm's law to find voltage: V = IR. Substituting the given values, we get:

V = (85.7 x 10-6 A)(2175 x 10-3 Ω)

V = 0.18651525 V

Therefore, the maximum allowable voltage without causing a shock is approximately 0.19 V.