Force on Electron in Light Bulb Filament (240V, 6.0cm)

[BreadTomato]

Homework Statement

A filament in a light bulb uses a length of wire 6.0cm. The potential difference across the filament is 240V. What is the force on an electron in the filament from the imposed electric field?

Homework Equations

F= qE

E = V / d

The Attempt at a Solution

Hello everyone, thank you for reading this, from what I understand the solution is to substitute the E as V/d to solve this problem, however what I'm puzzled at is why does the length of the wire (6.0cm) is the 'd' in this equation? From what I understand, d is the separation between 2 plates of positive and negative charge, so I'm unsure as to why the 6.0cm applies.

Thank you very much!

 

[BvU]

Hello BT,

A potential difference is between two positions. They can be simple points, or somewhat extended: a line or a plate.
In this exercise they are the end points of the thicker pieces of wire that hold up the filament.

 

[BreadTomato]

Hello BT,

A potential difference is between two positions. They can be simple points, or somewhat extended: a line or a plate.
In this exercise they are the end points of the thicker pieces of wire that hold up the filament.

Ahh I see, thank you very much kind sir!