Which action is not a determining factor for the severity of an electric shock?

Which action is not a determining factor for the severity of an electric shock?

• A. Path of current through the body
• B. Voltage level
• C. Duration of exposure
• D. Conductance ratio of voltage versus time exposed

Answer: (D)

The key idea is that the danger of an electric shock is tied to how much current actually flows through the body and for how long. Current through the body is set by Ohm’s law: I = V / R, so both the voltage and the body's resistance matter, and the path the current takes through the body determines which tissues or organs are affected. The longer the exposure, the more energy is delivered to the tissues, increasing the potential for harm. The proposed factor, a “conductance ratio of voltage versus time exposed,” isn’t a standard or meaningful determinant of injury—conductance is just the inverse of resistance, and there isn’t a useful ratio that combines voltage and time to predict severity. So the amount of current, the path it takes, and the duration of exposure are the real determinants, while that conductance–time ratio isn’t a recognized factor.

The key idea is that the danger of an electric shock is tied to how much current actually flows through the body and for how long. Current through the body is set by Ohm’s law: I = V / R, so both the voltage and the body's resistance matter, and the path the current takes through the body determines which tissues or organs are affected. The longer the exposure, the more energy is delivered to the tissues, increasing the potential for harm. The proposed factor, a “conductance ratio of voltage versus time exposed,” isn’t a standard or meaningful determinant of injury—conductance is just the inverse of resistance, and there isn’t a useful ratio that combines voltage and time to predict severity. So the amount of current, the path it takes, and the duration of exposure are the real determinants, while that conductance–time ratio isn’t a recognized factor.