A current as low as ______ can be felt by the body.

A current as low as ______ can be felt by the body.

• A. 0.5 mA
• B. 1 mA
• C. 5 mA
• D. 10 mA

Answer: (B)

The ability to feel current through the body comes from nerves being stimulated by the electrical signal. For a typical adult exposed to alternating current at common frequencies, the perceptual threshold is about 1 milliampere. That means currents around 1 mA can be felt as a tingling sensation, while smaller currents (about 0.5 mA or less) are usually imperceptible. As the current increases, the sensation becomes more noticeable (around 5 mA it’s clearly felt, and around 10 mA it can cause stronger shocks or muscle reactions). So the smallest value that is generally felt is around 1 mA.

The ability to feel current through the body comes from nerves being stimulated by the electrical signal. For a typical adult exposed to alternating current at common frequencies, the perceptual threshold is about 1 milliampere. That means currents around 1 mA can be felt as a tingling sensation, while smaller currents (about 0.5 mA or less) are usually imperceptible. As the current increases, the sensation becomes more noticeable (around 5 mA it’s clearly felt, and around 10 mA it can cause stronger shocks or muscle reactions). So the smallest value that is generally felt is around 1 mA.