16 AWG wire is rated at 10 amps at 120 volts and can carry 1,200 watts. Reduce the voltage to 1 volt and 16 AWG can carry 1,200 amps because the derived wattage rating is not exceeded.
I'm not sure if you're joking here or not... I will assume that you are, however, just in case there is someone in the crowd who doesn't understand:
The only knowledge required is:
POWER = I^2 * R
I will use a 3 foot peice of 16 AWG wire since that is what I have on my bike. The resistance of a 3 foot peice of 16 AWG wire is approximately 0.0014 ohms. This is roughly a constant until the wire gets VERY hot.
When there are 10 amps running through it, the power lost as heat in the wire is:
I^2 R = 10 * 10 * 0.0014 = 1.4 watts. (Note that the power dissapated does not depend on the applied voltage)
At 1.4 Watts, the wire is easily able to pass that heat on to the surrounding air, and will not feel hot to the touch.
When there are 1200 amps running through it, the power lost as heat in the wire is:
I^2 R = 1200 * 1200 * 0.0014 = 20520 watts.
At 20520 Watts (approximately the same heating capacity as two typical home furnaces), the wire very quickly reaches the point where the insulation and/or the metal melts.
Pete