Re: How many joules --> e.m. waves?

[LUDWIK KOWALSKI <kowalskil@alpha.montclair.edu>]

On 16 Apr 97 19:52:20 EDT  LUDWIK KOWALSKI wrote:

> We are discharging a capacitor in the LCR circuit. Suppose that 
> V=10000 volts, C=30 pF (1.5 mJ of energy is available) and that 
> R=0.1 ohms. To simplify assume that the wire through which the 
> current is flowing is a circular loop whose radius is 3 m. ...

The immediate reply was:

> > One difficulty ... the initial current is 10E5 amperes which will 
> > vaporise the wire. ...

Actually, 1.5 mJ would not increase the temperature significantely, unless 
the mass of the wire were extremly small. The melting would take place if 
the amplitude corresponding to 10,000 volts were to be sustained by a 
source of constant power, for example, by a generator described by Bob 
this morning.
                                                    Ludwik Kowalski