Which condition would most increase current through the body when in contact with a live conductor?

• A. Dry skin with small contact area
• B. Dry skin with large contact area
• C. Sweaty skin with large contact area
• D. Sweaty skin with small contact area

Answer: (C)

Current through the body when touching a live conductor is governed by the body's electrical resistance and Ohm’s law: I = V/R. The skin is the main barrier, so skin resistance largely determines how much current can flow. Dry skin has relatively high resistance, while sweaty skin lowers resistance because moisture conducts electricity. The area of contact also matters: a larger contact area provides more parallel paths for current, reducing the overall resistance further.

So the condition that yields the most current for a given live voltage is sweaty skin with a large contact area. The moisture lowers the skin’s resistance, and the wide contact area adds more pathways for current, together giving the smallest overall resistance and the largest current. Dry skin raises resistance, and a smaller contact area reduces the number of current paths, both of which lower the current compared to sweaty skin with a large area.