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This is me at the Technorama Science Center, wearing a metal suit with the sparks from a large Tesla Coil. There is more than enough amperage to kill me. So why did I survive?

Answer:

This one was actually a "trick" question, aimed at friends and family. The sparks are high frequency alternating current from a Tesla Coil, and they are used to hearing me talk about the "skin effect" that causes high frequency AC to flow around a conductor, instead of through it. In this case though, the answer is simpler. Electricity takes the easiest pathway, and here the easiest pathway is through the metal suit. This demonstration would work the same way if I was holding a metal rod, with the spark hitting one end and jumping from the other. As long as I was standing on the insulating platform and the spark was not hitting me directly, the electricity would still take the path of least resistance, which would be along the metal. The metal suit makes sure that the spark does not hit my skin, making this a very safe demonstration.
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