Question

The human body can exhibit a wide range of resistances to current depending on the path of the current, contact area, and sweatiness of the skin. Suppose the resistance across the chest from the left hand to the right hand is 1.10 ? 106 ?.

(a) How much voltage is required to cause possible heart fibrillation in a man, which corresponds to 340 mA of direct current? V

(b) Why should rubber-soled shoes and rubber gloves be worn when working around electricity?

Answer 1

As we know that;

a)

= v = R*I
R = resistance of the conductor = 1.10*10^6 ohms
= I = 340 mA

= 0.34 A
= V = 1.10x10^6 * 0.34

= 0.3740*10^6 volts

= 374000 volts

Then,

b)

Electricity wants to flow to the ground. If you touch a wire, you will feel a shock because you complete a circuit between the wire and the ground.

Then,

By wearing rubber shoes, you break the circuit because rubber is an insulator it does not conduct electricity,

So,

By wearing rubber shoes, you are protecting yourself from getting electrocuted.