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Max voltage there will be about 2V DC. (Could be up to 3.4V, but much more likely to be 1.73V).

Dry paper is roughly as conductive as glass: that is, no fire is going to happen here. You can't get a spark.




The voltage is less important than the amperage with something like this, but that fact only further emphasizes your point, there's literally zero risk of the paper catching fire.


1.73Vrms / 45 ohms of impedance of headphones = 0.038 mA (doesn't include minor impedance from output)

Power (Watts) = V^2/R, or I^2*R, so a maximum of 0.067 Watts to start a fire. Not much at all.


Yup, exactly. A static electricity spark is typically high voltage, but very low amperage, and even it would be highly unlikely to set paper ablaze. A headphone is both very low amperage and low voltage, so essentially impossible without an external catalyst.




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