Neat explanation Paul!
I've measured the short-circuit current of ordinary LR6 (AA?) 1.5V batteries. If I remeber correctly, you get something like 6A. A pack of Ni-Cd cells of the ordinary type used in model cars and planes gave 18A. At first I thought there was something wrong with the meter, since the values seemed so high.
Pauls teoretical demonstration of the power of a car battery can be demonstrated in reality: A friend of a friend put a wrench across the poles, which instantly resulted in melted poles.
It's worth remebering that electric shock is not the only danger from electricity. If one goes through the injuries from electricity reported to the Swedish authorities, one sees that many cases are burns from arcs. These can be very serious or even lethal.
