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Comment by Glawen | Hacker News Reader

Well, no, AC is more lethal, also it contracts the muscles more easily.

The high voltage ranges are different between AC and DC, with AC being lower than DC range due to the higher risk.

My understanding is that DC currents are more dangerous as the effect is continuous. Whereas there is some electrician humour that at least with AC you have 50 chances per second to pull away (Americans get 60 chances per second)

It's not so straightforward. Volts, amps, and frequency (in the case of AC) all play a factor in lethality of electricity.

I've been shocked by 300V DC @ 500mA and I'll take the equivalent AC any day. Obviously both can kill you, but the DC was far more painful and instantly gave me 3rd degree burns. Also made me ululate some kind of tone I didn't even know the human throat could emit.

The consensus I've heard from a few family members who work in airport maintenance is that HVDC will make you wish you were dead, while HVAC will make you dead dead.

Even in college, I was taught AC passes on your skin away from your heart and is therefore safer at the same voltage. Is this a myth?

It's complicated and likely not at all relevant at 50 or 60 Hz frequencies. You want the sqrt(2p/ωμ) formula if you're curious.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect

keep in mind that peak voltage of AC is 1.4 of nominal. So keeping hat in mind, range is about same.

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