Volts vs Amps

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K8MHZ

Senior Member
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Michigan. It's a beautiful peninsula, I've looked
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Electrician
If we don't find the amperage how do we ever get the ampacity of the wire?

Ampacity isn't a word, it's a portmanteau the NEC gang created and really has nothing to do with the OP's question. Hopefully I am correct in being pretty sure the OP knows that amperage is a measure of current, and voltage is a measure of electromotive force.
 
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kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Water analogy is fine to help understand when learning basic concepts, but one must also remember it is an analogy and there will be some things on each side of the analogy that aren't exactly the same.

Once you have that analogy in your mind you need to go back to basic electrical theory and the definitions of terms.

Voltage is electromotive force. It is the potential energy waiting to push electrons through a conductor. Depending on capabilities of the source this may or may not remain constant when current does flow, and will also depend on how much current does flow.

Current is the intensity of electrons that are flowing.
 

iwire

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Massachusetts
I disagree with you.

:rant:

You have some nerve buddy!


:D

(even though you are a moderator and I am a lowly subscriber.:))

I am a grunt in the field.


The intention of that statement is to clarify that current flow is the predominate factor in electrocution.

And I am gong to disagree with your disagrement.

You must have both in some quantity to be electrocuted therefore one is no more important than the other. IMO


To think otherwise tosses ohm law on its head
 

Carultch

Senior Member
Location
Massachusetts
If we don't find the amperage how do we ever get the ampacity of the wire?


Amperage and current mean the same thing. Similarly, voltage and electric potential mean the same thing.

It's just that for people who don't really care about the precise physics term for the concept, it is more convenient to simply have a name of the concept that matches the name of the unit.
 

Strathead

Senior Member
Location
Ocala, Florida, USA
Occupation
Electrician/Estimator/Project Manager/Superintendent
:rant:

You have some nerve buddy!


:D



I am a grunt in the field.




And I am gong to disagree with your disagrement.

You must have both in some quantity to be electrocuted therefore one is no more important than the other. IMO


To think otherwise tosses ohm law on its head

Then life kills because you have to be alive to be killed, and you need your Mom to give you life so ultimately it is Mom who kills. Current, flowing through your heart and interrupting it's beating is what kills you. If I float in the air, holding on to a 500KVA power line, I will remain unharmed. Voltage just doesn't kill. Yes, you don't have current flow if you don't have electro motive force to propel that voltage, but then again, you don't have current if youi don't have a generation source, so you might as well say that the Hoover dam killed someone as say that voltage killed someone.
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
Amperage and current mean the same thing. Similarly, voltage and electric potential mean the same thing.
When talking about electrical anyway.

Can't recall someone saying something like Johnny fell into the river and the amperage swept him away.;)

Amps is a unit of measure of current, but you also wouldn't typically hear anyone say that Johnny got swept away by the _____ cubic feet of water per second either though it may technically be correct.
 
I really appreciate this, guys.
You cannot have speed without closing distance; Comparing the two can only be done in right context.
I was hoping someone could run with the hot chick concept. Maybe she's not really frigid; maybe the resistance is the diode.:lol:
 

kwired

Electron manager
Location
NE Nebraska
I really appreciate this, guys.
You cannot have speed without closing distance; Comparing the two can only be done in right context.
I was hoping someone could run with the hot chick concept. Maybe she's not really frigid; maybe the resistance is the diode.:lol:

I'm sure many could run with hot chick concept - but would have their posts removed because we are supposed to be nice on this site;)
 
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