The discussion revolves around the concept of negative voltage in various electrical contexts, including electrolytic cells, AC circuits, and DC circuits. Participants explore the implications of negative voltage on current flow and the differences in behavior across these contexts.
Participants express differing views on the interpretation of negative voltage, particularly in relation to electrolytic cells and battery behavior. There is no consensus on the explanations provided, and several points remain contested.
Participants highlight potential confusion between electrolytic and galvanic cells, as well as the need for clarity on the definitions and implications of negative voltage in various electrical contexts. Some statements reflect assumptions that may not be universally accepted.
Readers interested in electrical engineering, chemistry, and physics, particularly those exploring the concepts of voltage and current in different circuit types.
DaleSpam said:You are not thinking this through clearly. It absolutely must change for one and not the other, regardless of the direction of the current. Say you label one terminal of the voltmeter "A" and the other "B" and say that you label one terminal of the battery "a" and the other "b".
Now, let's say that you put the voltmeter on your left with "A" up and "B" down and the battery on your right with "a" up and "b" down and you connect "A" to "a" and "B" to "b". Now, you will have a loop, current will go around that loop either clockwise or counterclockwise. If it goes clockwise then current will go from "a" to "b" through the battery and from "B" to "A" through the voltmeter. If it goes counterclockwise then current will go from "b" to "a" through the battery and from "A" to "B" through the voltmeter.
Now, we flip the voltmeter so that "B" is up and "A" is down, and we connect "A" to "b" and "B" to "a". We again have a loop and current will go either clockwise or counterclockwise. If it goes clockwise then current will go from "a" to "b" through the battery and from "A" to "B" through the voltmeter. If it goes counterclockwise then current will go from "b to a" through the battery and from "B" to "A" through the voltmeter. Either way the direction of current through one and only one must change.
You were told wrong then. Current always goes in a complete loop, that is why we use the word "circuit" to describe electrical devices. This also relates to our https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=2311338&postcount=20" where we specifically talked about the current through a battery.Red_CCF said:The part that I don't quite get in your explanation is the part where the current goes through the battery. I was told that current never goes through the battery but from positive to negative terminals through the wire.
DaleSpam said:You were told wrong then. Current always goes in a complete loop, that is why we use the word "circuit" to describe electrical devices. This also relates to our https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=2311338&postcount=20" where we specifically talked about the current through a battery.