- #1
antistrophy
- 21
- 0
In trying to understand electricity I thought of the following: If I set up a wire one light year long, stretching out into space ½ a light year out and ½ a light year back, and connected a series of light bulbs all the way around the wire, and then connected a battery (large enough to handle the resistance obviously), how will the light bulbs light up? I thought of three different scenarios;
a) All the bulbs light up instantaneously. (in which case I don’t understand anything)
b) The bulbs on the negative side of the battery start lighting up one by one all the way around taking just over one year to light the last one next to the positive side. (I don’t like this idea either).
c) Both bulbs on the positive side and on the negative side of the battery light up as electrons are being pushed from the negative and pulled by the positive, with the last bulb to light up being the furthest away from the battery at just over ½ year. (I’m going to go for this one)
d) I just thought of a forth scenario that nothing happens for 1 light year and then all of them come on slowly, or something.
Any insight would be helpful. I have a feeling I’m not thinking about this correctly to begin with. Thanks for any help in advance.
a) All the bulbs light up instantaneously. (in which case I don’t understand anything)
b) The bulbs on the negative side of the battery start lighting up one by one all the way around taking just over one year to light the last one next to the positive side. (I don’t like this idea either).
c) Both bulbs on the positive side and on the negative side of the battery light up as electrons are being pushed from the negative and pulled by the positive, with the last bulb to light up being the furthest away from the battery at just over ½ year. (I’m going to go for this one)
d) I just thought of a forth scenario that nothing happens for 1 light year and then all of them come on slowly, or something.
Any insight would be helpful. I have a feeling I’m not thinking about this correctly to begin with. Thanks for any help in advance.