The discussion revolves around the use of neon lamps for measuring electrical polarity, focusing on the underlying mechanisms of how they operate in different electrical conditions. Participants explore the principles of glow discharge and the behavior of current in circuits.
Participants express differing views on the behavior of current in circuits and the resulting glow of neon lamps, indicating that multiple competing perspectives remain unresolved.
There are assumptions about the nature of current flow in circuits and the specific conditions under which neon lamps operate that are not fully explored or agreed upon.
DaTario said:My problem with your answer is that I have the ideia that, in simple electric circuits, when the current starts, I used to think that the current will be established in all positions basically at the same time, and not only near the negative pole of the battery. Thus, it seems reasonable to me that, in a discharge lamp, when the negatively charged electrode starts sending its electrons, the glow would appear also in all positions of the electron's path to the positively charged electrode.
When driven from a DC source, only the negatively charged electrode (cathode) will glow. When driven from an AC source, both electrodes will glow (each during alternate half cycles).