What happens to skin resistance at about 600 volts?

• A. The resistance of the skin becomes negligible
• B. The resistance doubles
• C. The resistance becomes infinite
• D. The resistance remains unchanged

Answer: (A)

Skin resists electrical flow strongly when the outer layer is dry, but that resistance drops dramatically once the voltage is high enough to cause dielectric breakdown. Around six hundred volts, the electric field across the skin becomes strong enough to punch through the insulating layers, creating conductive paths through moisture and sweat ducts into the underlying tissues. When this breakdown happens, the skin’s resistance falls to a very low value, effectively negligible for practical purposes, so current can flow much more readily if contact is made with the live source. The exact amount of reduction depends on factors like moisture, pressure, and contact area, but the key idea is that high voltage disrupts the skin’s insulation and lowers its resistance substantially.