Undergrad Function of a Battery in Simple Circuits

[Bheshaj]

In a simple circuit with battery connected to a resistor or a combination of resistors where is the electric field directed . What do we mean when we say battery creates a potential difference between two points in a conductor? And by the statement that battery moves positive charge from low potential to higher potential?

 

[davenn]

In a simple circuit with battery connected to a resistor or a combination of resistors where is the electric field directed . What do we mean when we say battery creates a potential difference between two points in a conductor? And by the statement that battery moves positive charge from low potential to higher potential?

what have you done so far to try and find some answers ?
show your effort and people here will guide you

 

[Bheshaj]

what have you done so far to try and find some answers ?
show your effort and people here will guide you

Please help me. I am not understanding, these statements are directly said by people and written in books tried a lot to find out their meaning. .What do they mean when they say we apply a potential difference. There should be an electric field right to move charges how and where is it directed in a battery and in wires and resistors connected to the battery?

 

[rcgldr]

Potential difference is a reference to voltage, which is the electrical potential energy per unit (positive) charge. As a crude analogy, it's similar to gravitational potential energy per unit mass (I'm not aware of a term for gravitational potential).

Consider the case of a constant intensity field, which can be approximated by the inner part of a field between two charged plates (such as a capacitor), with a positively charged particle within that field. The voltage is greatest at the more positively charged plate, and zero at the more negatively charged plate. A positively charged particle would experience a constant force towards the more negatively charged plate.

 

[jbriggs444]

The preferred way of working problems with circuit diagrams is to ignore the real-world aspects of the situation and consider the circuit elements as idealizations. They have certain behavior, because they are defined to.

Idealization: A battery is a device that will impose a defined potential difference between its terminals regardless of how much current passes through it. The current can pass through in either direction.

Analogy: If your intuition balks at the idea of abstractions like this, the fluid analogy may be helpful. Potential (voltage) is like pressure in a pipe. A battery is like a pump that imposes a pressure difference. Normally, it does this by pumping fluid received on the low pressure end out to the high pressure end. It imposes the same pressure difference regardless of the flow rate. Negative flow rates are possible -- if the fluid is driven from elsewhere, the pump can absorb energy from the flow like a turbine.

Realistic: A realistic battery operates based on chemistry. Current flows as the battery's chemical stockpile is used up, slowly reducing the potential that the battery is able to provide. A reverse flow allows the chemical stockpile to be restored -- recharging the battery.

In idealized circuit theory one assumes an infinite chemical stockpile with no reduction in voltage as current continues to flow.