You can touch a 100,000-volt Van de Graaff generator with little harm because although the voltage is high, the relatively small amount of charge means there is a relatively small amount of
A) polarization.
B) conduction.
C) energy.
D) electric field.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The key factor that makes touching a 100,000-volt Van de Graaff generator relatively safe is the small amount of energy involved. Despite the high voltage, the generator does not transfer a significant amount of charge, and thus the energy (which depends on both the charge and the voltage) that is transferred to a person is quite low. This low energy transfer is insufficient to cause harm, unlike situations with high energy and current.

You Can Touch a 100,000-Volt Van De Graaff Generator with Little