- #1
Screwy
- 12
- 0
So, I have a problem visualizing effect of voltage on the current in a circuit. Here goes:
-Intensity (I) of a current is a ratio of charge traveling through a cross section of a conductor, and time. We can visualize it as a flow of water through a pipe: It is all about quantity of particles.
-Voltage (V) of a circuit is a difference in potentials between two poles. We can imagine this as a height of a chamber from which we can release water into pipes.
So, power of a current is I times V, in other words - to preserve power we can "increase quantity of water and reduce the height of a chamber" or "increase height of a chamber and release smaller quantities of water".
In this analogy, we can easily see that we either have less water moving faster or more water moving slower to preserve total power of a system. The higher chamber results in FASTER water!
Now this is my problem. What property of electrons does voltage affect, to make their energy higher?
Is it their speed?
Is it the drift speed, or just a speed of any electron in particular?
________________________________________________________
Additional question, very much related:
Let's imagine a small charge (-) between two parallel plates of a capacitor. It is near (-) plate of a capacitor.
Now, the charge has a certain Electrical potential energy (voltage times charge).
If we release the charge and let it move towards (+) plate of a capacitor, its potential energy is reduced as it approaches (+) plate, and all of its potential energy at this point is converted to... to WHAT?
There is not much talk about this in textbooks, and it would help me visualize electricity if I could correctly realize what property of a particle, besides it's charge, plays a part in its energy.
-Intensity (I) of a current is a ratio of charge traveling through a cross section of a conductor, and time. We can visualize it as a flow of water through a pipe: It is all about quantity of particles.
-Voltage (V) of a circuit is a difference in potentials between two poles. We can imagine this as a height of a chamber from which we can release water into pipes.
So, power of a current is I times V, in other words - to preserve power we can "increase quantity of water and reduce the height of a chamber" or "increase height of a chamber and release smaller quantities of water".
In this analogy, we can easily see that we either have less water moving faster or more water moving slower to preserve total power of a system. The higher chamber results in FASTER water!
Now this is my problem. What property of electrons does voltage affect, to make their energy higher?
Is it their speed?
Is it the drift speed, or just a speed of any electron in particular?
________________________________________________________
Additional question, very much related:
Let's imagine a small charge (-) between two parallel plates of a capacitor. It is near (-) plate of a capacitor.
Now, the charge has a certain Electrical potential energy (voltage times charge).
If we release the charge and let it move towards (+) plate of a capacitor, its potential energy is reduced as it approaches (+) plate, and all of its potential energy at this point is converted to... to WHAT?
There is not much talk about this in textbooks, and it would help me visualize electricity if I could correctly realize what property of a particle, besides it's charge, plays a part in its energy.
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