- #1
ezadam
- 21
- 0
Hi everyone,
I hope this question hasn't be asked and answered already in this forum, I searched through all related threads but I couldn't find an answer specific enough to my question.
Consider a simple circuit with a DC battery and resistor. When the electrons (the charge carriers in this situation) move through a resistor, does their speed decrease or increase ? It would be better if you could explain using both physical and mathematical interpretations.
Here's what I've thought of:
Using the physical interpretation, I concluded that by making use of the water pipe analogy (water flows faster in tighter sections of the pipe), the electrons in a resistance would speed up.
Using the mathematical interpretation however, I get the opposite results. We know that :
I = nevA
with: - n the number of electrons per unit volume,
- e the charge of an electron,
- v the drift speed of an electron
- A the cross-sectional area.
Using Ohm's law: V=RI
Thus: V/R=nevA and so: v = (V/neAR)*(1/R)
With the first terms in parentheses constant, the drift speed of electrons decreases as resistance increases (when a resistance is present). In other words, the electrons slow down in a resistor
Please explain to me where my misconceptions lie.
Thanks
I hope this question hasn't be asked and answered already in this forum, I searched through all related threads but I couldn't find an answer specific enough to my question.
Consider a simple circuit with a DC battery and resistor. When the electrons (the charge carriers in this situation) move through a resistor, does their speed decrease or increase ? It would be better if you could explain using both physical and mathematical interpretations.
Here's what I've thought of:
Using the physical interpretation, I concluded that by making use of the water pipe analogy (water flows faster in tighter sections of the pipe), the electrons in a resistance would speed up.
Using the mathematical interpretation however, I get the opposite results. We know that :
I = nevA
with: - n the number of electrons per unit volume,
- e the charge of an electron,
- v the drift speed of an electron
- A the cross-sectional area.
Using Ohm's law: V=RI
Thus: V/R=nevA and so: v = (V/neAR)*(1/R)
With the first terms in parentheses constant, the drift speed of electrons decreases as resistance increases (when a resistance is present). In other words, the electrons slow down in a resistor
Please explain to me where my misconceptions lie.
Thanks