Question about voltage in a battery

  • Context: High School 
  • Thread starter Thread starter jaredvert
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Battery Voltage
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of voltage in batteries, specifically addressing the implications of voltage on electric potential, current flow, and energy dissipation in circuits. Participants explore the relationship between voltage, kinetic energy of electrons, and heat generation in electrical loads.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant questions whether a 1.5 volt battery indicates the change in electric potential for an electron moving from the negative to the positive terminal, and whether higher voltage implies more kinetic energy and heat generation.
  • Another participant explains that voltage represents the difference in electric potential, with higher voltage causing test charges to accelerate faster and possess more energy upon reaching the second point.
  • A participant notes that a higher voltage battery results in more current flow in a circuit, given constant resistance, leading to greater power output.
  • Some participants discuss that increased voltage leads to higher drift velocities of electrons, resulting in more collisions and heat dissipation, although the overall number of collisions may not significantly change.
  • There is a clarification regarding the change in kinetic energy between successive collisions of electrons, with agreement on this point among participants.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying views on the implications of voltage on kinetic energy and heat generation, with some agreeing on the relationship between voltage and electron behavior, while others raise questions about the specifics of these interactions. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the broader implications of these concepts.

Contextual Notes

Some assumptions about the behavior of electrons and the nature of collisions in conductive materials are not fully explored, and the discussion does not resolve the complexities of energy transfer in circuits.

jaredvert
Messages
61
Reaction score
0
Does say a 1.5 volt voltage in a battery mean the change in electric potential as one electron goes from the negative terminus to the positive terminus? Does a larger voltage battery simply mean more kinetic energy through the load (hence more friction/heat)? Or does it have to do with something else? Thanks
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Voltage itself is the difference in electric potential between two points. A higher voltage means a larger difference between those two points. If we put a test charge at one of these points, the higher voltage will cause the test charge to accelerate faster and have more energy when it reaches the 2nd point.

In a real circuit, a battery at 3.0 volts will cause more current to flow than a 1.5 volt battery will, as long as the resistance of the circuit doesn't change. The 3.0 volt battery has the potential to put out more power than the 1.5 volt battery.

For example, if we have a circuit with a resistive load of 30 ohms, then the 1.5 volt battery will cause 50 milliamps of current to flow and the load will consume 75 milliwatts of power.

In the same circuit, the 3.0 volt battery will cause 100 milliamps of current to flow and the load will consume 300 milliwatts of power.
 
jaredvert said:
Does a larger voltage battery simply mean more kinetic energy through the load (hence more friction/heat)?

As Drakkith said, more voltage accelerates the electrons to higher velocities (drift velocities to be precise), which means more collisions with the constituent particles and thus more heat dissipation.
 
PhysicoRaj said:
As Drakkith said, more voltage accelerates the electrons to higher velocities (drift velocities to be precise), which means more collisions with the constituent particles and thus more heat dissipation.

Because the drift velocity is so small compared to the random movements of the electrons, the number of collisions doesn't change significantly. The amount of energy that the electrons pick up from the field between collisions does.
 
You mean the change in K.E between two successive collisions?
 
PhysicoRaj said:
You mean the change in K.E between two successive collisions?

Yes, I did mean that.
 

Similar threads

High School The voltage between two points
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
2K
High School Some Questions about Electric Current/Capacitors to help my understanding
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Undergrad Potential difference between a battery's terminal and Earth ground
  • · Replies 58 ·
2
Replies
58
Views
6K
High School High voltage batteries and charge distribution
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
1K
Undergrad Energy Flow From Battery to the Light Bulb
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
5K
High School Troubleshooting Battery Internal Resistance Measurements
  • · Replies 105 ·
4
Replies
105
Views
13K
High School To confirm if I am correct about the role of voltage in a circuit
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
High School Where Do Electrons Go When a Battery Loses Charge?
  • · Replies 22 ·
Replies
22
Views
8K
Undergrad Rise in Voltage across a battery
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
Undergrad An attempt to understand the associated variable conventions in circuits
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K