Does net charge affect resistance?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around whether the net charge of a cable influences its electrical resistance. Participants explore theoretical implications, experimental setups, and the nature of charge carriers in conductive materials.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Technical explanation, Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that a negatively charged cable might have lower resistance due to an increased number of charge carriers, drawing an analogy to water conductivity with added ions.
  • Another participant counters that the increased number of particles could lead to greater scattering, potentially increasing resistance.
  • A question is raised about the feasibility of creating a "charged cable" and how that might be achieved.
  • A specific experimental setup is proposed involving a Van de Graaff generator to measure resistance changes in a charged sphere, assuming static electricity does not interfere with the measurement device.
  • There is a suggestion that a high voltage bias could be relevant to the discussion, with a reference to another participant who may have expertise in that area.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the effects of net charge on resistance, with no consensus reached on whether increased charge carriers lead to lower resistance or if scattering effects dominate.

Contextual Notes

The discussion includes assumptions about the nature of charge carriers and the impact of static electricity on measurements, which remain unresolved.

greypilgrim
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Hi.

Is the resistance of a charged cable different compared to a cable with zero net charge? If it is charged negatively, one could argue that now there are more carriers for the current, so the resistance should be smaller (similarly to water that becomes more conductive if ions are added). On the other hand, more particles might increase scattering which should increase resistance.

Or can we just argue that by linearity, this superposition of charges doesn't affect the current at all?
 
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How do you propose to create a "charged cable"?
 
For example by connecting it to a Van de Graaff generator?

Ok the capacity of a cable is quite small, so let's use the generator directly: If the resistance of the sphere is measured between two opposite points on the surface, will it change if the generator is turned on? Of course under the assumption that the static electricity doesn't affect the measurement device directly.
 
greypilgrim said:
For example by connecting it to a Van de Graaff generator?
So you basically want a cable with a high voltage bias? In that case @anorlunda is the one to ask. Also look for a recent thread mentioning HVDC transmission.
 
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