Ohm's Law and AC Power: Explaining the Paradox

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the relationship between voltage, current, and power in the context of Ohm's Law and AC power transmission. Participants explore the apparent paradox of how higher voltage can result in lower current while maintaining the same power output, particularly in AC power systems.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses confusion about the relationship between current (I) and voltage (V) as described by Ohm's Law and the power equation P = IV, suggesting an inverse relationship.
  • Another participant clarifies that the relationships can only be combined if they deal with the same resistance, noting that different voltages and currents must correspond to different resistances.
  • A participant points out that stepping up voltage reduces current while increasing voltage, implying a direct relationship in the context of power transmission.
  • One participant argues against the idea of P = IV representing an inverse relationship, explaining that if power (P) is not constant, then changes in voltage will proportionately affect current, and thus the relationship is not straightforward.
  • The same participant elaborates that to maintain the same power at different voltages, the resistance of the consumer must change, which complicates the application of Ohm's Law in this scenario.
  • There is a mention of transformers and their role in adjusting voltage levels for end users, indicating that different transformers would be needed for different transmission voltages.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not appear to reach a consensus, as there are multiple competing views regarding the interpretation of the relationships between voltage, current, and power, and the application of Ohm's Law in AC power transmission.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of considering resistance when discussing power transmission and the implications of using different voltages. There are unresolved aspects regarding the definitions of power, voltage, and current in varying contexts.

waqarrashid33
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I am confuse at a point that is:
I equation P=IV there is an inverse relation between I and V But according to ohm law there is direct relation between I and V.

How in in ac Power transmission line 1100 volt cause small current than 220 volt...

please solve my this trouble...

Everyone got confused when i ask this question..
 
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You have four variables, P, I, R and V and two relations.
P = IV
V = IR

choose the values of any two variables, and you can compute the other two.

Note that you can only combine the two relations if they both deal with the same resistance.
If you have 1100 volt and a small current, and than 220 Volt with a larger current, these voltages and currents must be across different resistances.
 
i mean here when we step up 220 volt then current is reduced and voltage is increased...
 
It is generally wrong to describe P = IV as an inverse relationship between I and V. It would be right only if P were a constant.

In the 'usual' case of applying a p.d. V to a resistor of constant resistance R (i.e. the resistor obeys Ohm's law), if you double V, you will double I, and P (= IV) will go up by a factor of 4. So whatever you do to V, I will change proportionately, and P won't be constant, so P = IV doesn't give a relationship between I and V, it is simply a recipe for calculating P.

Your problem arises, I believe, because you've been required to consider how to get a given amount of power to a 'consumer'. And, using P = IV, you've thought 100 A and 10000 V would do just as well as 1000 A and 1000 V. This is true, but note that to take a current of 100 A at a p.d. of 10000 V, the consumer would have to have a resistance of 100 ohm, whereas to take a current of 1000 A at a p.d. of 1000V, the consumer would have to have a resistance of 1 ohm. So if we're considering ways of supplying the consumer with the same power at different voltages, the consumer must have different resistances in each case. That's why Ohm's law isn't applicable to the consumer in this type of calculation.

[Warning what follows is a bit compact and could cause (more?) confusion. If in doubt, I suggest you don't read it.] You might well ask: don't the end-users want a fixed voltage (110 V or 230 V or whatever)? Yes. What I've called 'the consumer' is in fact the input side of a transformer which steps the voltage down for the end users. A different transformer would have to be used if the transmission voltage going to the input of the transformer were changed. This changes the effective resistance of the consumer.
 

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