- #1
glenn21
- 19
- 1
This is why I think this is the case, I can't come up with any other reason and have been researching all over the place. I do have a knowledge of circuits, I'm doing an electronic engineering course, but the reasoning has never been explained, as if it's unnecessary to understand why, but I am curious.
So in a simple circuit containing a battery and a resistor the electrons have high electric potential energy at the start due to the protons on the other side of the battery and also due to the repulsion from neighbouring electrons on the negative terminal.
The reason I think there is close to zero potential difference across the conductive wires is that the excess electrons on the negative terminal side of the battery spread out across the surface of the conductor in such a way that as electrons travel through the wire, their potential energy is almost constant at all points in space along it. So in the length of wire which the electrons begin at they have a fixed constant non-zero electric potential energy, but in the length of wire after the resistor connecting the positive terminal the excess protons arrange themselves so electrons maintain zero electric potential energy.
In the resistor such an arrangement is not possible due to the structure being of an insulator in nature and hence all the energy must be lost here.
If my reasoning was not true, then why is it that charges pass through the wire at a constant velocity? As the electrons go through the wire they gain kinetic energy, so they are using up electric potential energy. This would also mean that most of the energy would be lost in the resistor only if it were longer than the wires because more distance means more conversion of electric potential energy.
Is my reasoning correct?
I thank anyone who responds to this in advance.
So in a simple circuit containing a battery and a resistor the electrons have high electric potential energy at the start due to the protons on the other side of the battery and also due to the repulsion from neighbouring electrons on the negative terminal.
The reason I think there is close to zero potential difference across the conductive wires is that the excess electrons on the negative terminal side of the battery spread out across the surface of the conductor in such a way that as electrons travel through the wire, their potential energy is almost constant at all points in space along it. So in the length of wire which the electrons begin at they have a fixed constant non-zero electric potential energy, but in the length of wire after the resistor connecting the positive terminal the excess protons arrange themselves so electrons maintain zero electric potential energy.
In the resistor such an arrangement is not possible due to the structure being of an insulator in nature and hence all the energy must be lost here.
If my reasoning was not true, then why is it that charges pass through the wire at a constant velocity? As the electrons go through the wire they gain kinetic energy, so they are using up electric potential energy. This would also mean that most of the energy would be lost in the resistor only if it were longer than the wires because more distance means more conversion of electric potential energy.
Is my reasoning correct?
I thank anyone who responds to this in advance.