Electrician's Licensing Practice Exam

What element is primarily responsible for making an electric shock fatal?

1. Voltage

2. Resistance

3. Current

4. Frequency

The correct answer is: Current

The element that is primarily responsible for making an electric shock fatal is current. When electrical current passes through the human body, it can disrupt normal physiological functions, particularly those of the heart and nervous system. The severity of an electric shock and its potential to be fatal is largely determined by the amount of current that flows through the body. Current is measured in amperes, and even small amounts can be dangerous. For instance, as little as 0.1 to 0.2 amperes (100 to 200 milliamperes) can cause severe injuries or death due to ventricular fibrillation, where the heart's normal rhythm is disrupted. This physical response to electric current highlights the importance of understanding its role in electricity and safety measures that must be taken to prevent harmful exposures. While voltage is essential since it causes the flow of current, it is the actual flow of current through the body that leads to life-threatening situations. Similarly, while resistance can influence how much current will flow for a given voltage, it is not the resistance itself that poses the danger; rather, it is the resulting current that dictates the shock's severity. Frequency, often related to alternating current, can affect how the body responds to an electric shock, but the current remains the