Analogies- are they correct?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: Analogies- are they correct?

okay...

With capacitance, the electrons are not actually flowing through the open part of the circuit. We're safe for now, even from infinite frequency...

Okay, back on topic...

I mentioned that inductance and capacitance can be mimicked in a closed water pipe system with a pump, including the out-of-phase condition of source voltage and current. I figured I would have gotten some requests if "how?"

Has everyone seen it before? In my opinion, it makes for a good teaching tool for beginning AC theory.
 
Re: Analogies- are they correct?

What follows is a question. I think I know enough to phrase the question.

When an electromotive force (EMF) is applied to the ends of a conductor that forms a complete circuit, as Charlie so eloquently described on page two of this thread, posted January 20, 2005 08:22 PM, the force moves through the conductor at the speed of light, at the instant of connection.

I spoke at length about this with a young physicist who is working on his PhD. I tried to kick around a couple of the analogies in this thread with him, but he was reluctant to rise to the bait. Rather, he told me to pay attention to the Force Carrier for EMF. His work in physics was in another area, so he didn't elaborate much, but, he said the vehicle for the electric field to be communicated from one electron to another was a photon.

Photons are the electric field force carrier.

The question, I guess, is how does analogy use this information?
 
Re: Analogies- are they correct?

inductance and capacitance can be mimicked in a closed water pipe system with a pump, including the out-of-phase condition of source voltage and current.
Click to expand...
Yes.
I have used a similar analogy for capacitance, with a double-acting hand pump for the AC voltage source, and a tank divided by a water-tight rubber diaphragm serving as the capacitive load.

I can't seem to find the sketch at the moment.

I can visualize a similar one for inductance, with the inertia of a "frictionless" mass representing the inductive load.

Ed

[ January 21, 2005, 07:04 PM: Message edited by: Ed MacLaren ]
 
Re: Analogies- are they correct?

I remember something about this photon notion Al. But my memory and knowledge aren't that thorough. I'm not sure if it sounds right though. A photon is a specific quantity (quanta, and I'm sure that's going to lead it into quantum mechanics, Which I'm not a huge fan of). So that would make electricity not happen until a threashold is reached. I don't think that reflects reality. But that's nearly pure conjecture on my part.
 
Re: Analogies- are they correct?

I was just thinking about the water hose model compared to electrons in a wire. In a water hose you can expect to find turbulance. I don't think I've encountered that idea related to electrons through a conductor.

I don't mean just resistance. I mean the water in a hose will be moving backwards against the direction of flow in some places at some times.

I can imagine that might happen in a wire too. And I could also imagine that that would not happen in a wire.

I think the electric field would prevent it but I'm not completely sure.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top