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The typical voltage of an electrical outlet in the US is 120V and in other countries it is usually higher (all the way up to 240V). While this signal is RMS and the danger potentials listed below are for DC values, the difference is negligible for this conversation.

So, as for the danger potential of different voltages:

-Anything below 36V is only dangerous if your hands are wet or you have an open wound (as liquid increases the conduction and decreases resistance), otherwise, it is harmless and hardly noticeable when touched to dry skin. -Anything above 9V feels unpleasant when touched to wet skin

-Anything above 48V can break skin and cause burns (regardless of whether the skin is dry or wet)

-A voltage 120V is more than enough to interrupt the human heart beat

The key to an electircal outlet being fatal is whether or not the current from the outlet passes across the heart. If you touch your thumb and finger to the positive and negative terminals then there's no danger beyond a burn.

However, if one hand grabs the positive and the other grabs the negative then the result could be fatal since all the current would pass directly across the chest and through the heart.

No matter what the situation, always try to avoid coming in contact with the terminals of an electrical outlet unless you know what you're doing and have ensured that the power is turned off first.

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What is the difference between grounding and bonding?

Grounding is a direct path (that is, a wire, usually green) from the electrical outlet or switch back to the service panel, which sends stray current back to the service panel and then to the power plant along with the normal alternating current. This gives stray current a means to return to earth (which is what all electricity wants to do). If this path were not available, stray current would remain static until a pathway showed up (like, your finger, which would result in a shock). So, grounding protects you from dangerous shocks. Bonding is connecting any metal or electrically conductive material to a grounding wire. An electrical outlet is attached to a metal box. A grounding wire is connected to the outlet. Its purpose is to return stray current from any device plugged into the outlet--like a toaster--back to the service panel. Connecting the metal box that contains the outlet to the outlet's grounding wire also grounds the box, so touching the box doesn't give you a shock. The connection is made with a wire screwed to the box, then connected to the green wire grounding the switch or outlet.


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