Heating element math

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mbrooke

mbrooke

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Say you have any number of resistors or heating elements. How do you determine the maximum possible connections?


As a starting example, you have two heating elements one 500 watts the other 1000 watts. You can switch on one element, the other element, both elements in parallel, or both in series.


Thus 4 power combinations.
 
190706-1617 EDT

mbrooke:

It grows very fast.

One resistance: one connection.

Two resistors: A or B or AB parallel or AB series. Four as you said.


Three resistors:

A or B or C, or

ABparallel or ABseries, or
ACparallel or ACseries, or
BCparallel or BCseries, or

ABCparallel, ABCseries, or

ABparallel and Cseries,
ACparallel and Bseries,
BCparallel and Aseries, or

ABseries and Cparallel,
ACseries and Bparallel,
BCseries and A parallel

This is 13. Did I miss any?

If I did not make a mistake the sequence is 1, 4, 13 to this point.

.
 
gar said:
190706-1617 EDT

mbrooke:

It grows very fast.

One resistance: one connection.

Two resistors: A or B or AB parallel or AB series. Four as you said.


Three resistors:

A or B or C, or

ABparallel or ABseries, or
ACparallel or ACseries, or
BCparallel or BCseries, or

ABCparallel, ABCseries, or

ABparallel and Cseries,
ACparallel and Bseries,
BCparallel and Aseries, or

ABseries and Cparallel,
ACseries and Bparallel,
BCseries and A parallel

This is 13. Did I miss any?

If I did not make a mistake the sequence is 1, 4, 13 to this point.

.
Click to expand...

Thats what I'm looking for :D
 
Curve ball, what about something like this- to save on wire:
 

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Now throw in a three phase 4 wire source and at least three or more loads to potentially connect in different combinations.
 
Now add applying either 120v or 240v to each element.

Max power = all elements in parallel on 240v.

Min power = all elements in series on 120v.

Reminds me of the multi-button GE range/cook-top.

appliance.jpg
 
mbrooke said:
Say you have any number of resistors or heating elements. How do you determine the maximum possible connections?


As a starting example, you have two heating elements one 500 watts the other 1000 watts. You can switch on one element, the other element, both elements in parallel, or both in series.


Thus 4 power combinations.
Click to expand...

Do we assume they are all different wattages? And then by number of connections do you mean counting different connections that result in the same wattage as one or multiple?
 
Did this once years ago but barely passed statistic back in school,

has a (n!) expression or 2 in the formula is all IIRC. :roll:

maybe n+n!+(n-1)! too lazy tonight to figure it out :dunce: ??

Fibonacci series ?
 
mbrooke said:
Say you have any number of resistors or heating elements. How do you determine the maximum possible connections?
Click to expand...
If it really is ANY number then the number of connections would be indeterminate.
 
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