Is internal battery "emf" a conservative force?

Join the discussion
Ask a follow-up here, or get your own question answered by working scientists, mathematicians and engineers — people, not an autocomplete.
Real named experts · corrections over time · the nuance an AI answer skips
3 replies · 3K views
STosh9
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
First, the electric/Coulomb force set up by a battery across its terminal is conservative, and its potential is given by the well-known V. I also understand the conventional usage of emf is as a voltage potential.

However, a battery does more than just set up the electric field and its associated voltage - it provides electrical energy, by conversion from its chemical energy, to push charges to higher potential. Is this "push" force on charges, or internal emf, a conservative force?
 
Physics news on Phys.org
The push force and the electromotive force are not the same thing.
The former is electrostatic force, and the latter is voltage (energy-to-charge ratio).
 
STosh9 said:
Is this "push" force on charges, or internal emf, a conservative force?
No. Electric field due to the chemical reaction in the battery is non-conservative in nature.
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: STosh9
cnh1995 said:
No. Electric field due to the chemical reaction in the battery is non-conservative in nature.

Thanks cnh1995 for confirming my suspicion. Would you have any references handy that explains this more?