- #1
kostoglotov
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imgur: http://i.imgur.com/9VILpYL.jpg
Now, I can easily solve this by applying the formula [itex]P_R = \frac{(\Delta V_R)^2}{R}[/itex] and get all the correct answers.
However, the answers feel strange to me intuitively. In the formula above, lowering the resistance increases the power that is dissipated.
Shouldn't a device with MORE resistance dissipate MORE energy per unit time? After all, isn't the idea behind something like a superconductor that it dissipates no energy while carrying it, and thus, wouldn't convert any of the flowing currents energy into heat.
Or am I misunderstanding the meaning of what it is to dissipate power? I thought it was just heat. Shouldn't something with more resistance get hotter, thus dissipate more power.
Or is it a matter of power vs energy? Is it that a higher resistance converts a higher fraction of every Joule of electrical energy into heat, but doesn't allow as much current, and so makes the conversion more slowly?