Re: "Charged" capacitor mis-terminology

[William Beaty <billb@eskimo.com>]

On Thu, 19 Feb 1998, Rauber, Joel              Phys wrote:

> >    I(total) = I(cond) + I(disp)
>
> It's, not just old books and EE profs, but my students also get this 
> terminology from me.
>
> I see nothing wrong with your equation above, and it represents a 
> generalization of current from simply being charges in motion.

As you say, if "current" really means "that which creates a circular
magnetic field", then a line-path current can be created either by
charge flow, or by increasing the e-field between disk-shaped parallel
plates.

Maxwell used Displacement Current to craft his field equations.  Is
there a good way to banish the concept of Displacement Current without
also distorting our understanding of the interactions between fields and
charged matter?


((((((((((((((((((((( ( (  (   (    (O)    )   )  ) ) )))))))))))))))))))))
William J. Beaty                                  SCIENCE HOBBYIST website
billb@eskimo.com                                  www.eskimo.com/~billb
EE/programmer/sci-exhibits          science projects, tesla, weird science
Seattle, WA   206-781-3320          freenrg-L taoshum-L vortex-L webhead-L