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Re: The Capacitor problem - once more



Hi all-
Brian writes:
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Hmmm...perhaps Jack ought to mention whether he believes that current
flows into the C3 capacitor as its plates are brought together.
If he does, can he accept that an IsquaredR loss is not rate dependent?
And so some energy is given up to heating the connecting wires UNLESS
they are superconducting?
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I suppose this demonstrates the theorem that no two people can
ever communicate. I suggest that in posing problems for students, for
the purpose of illustrating specific physical principles, you specify
the elements that you want the student to consider. That is, if it is
intended that the resistance of the wires be considered, then a little
ziggy line to show resistance be put into the diagram.
We work in a different context when we teach engineering courses.
In that context, we often expect the student to design and analyze real
gadgets that work.
In the context of teaching principles, I would adopt the convention
that in a diagram showing a line connection, the connection be considered
"superconducting".
Regards,
Jack

"I scored the next great triumph for science myself,
to wit, how the milk gets into the cow. Both of us
had marveled over that mystery a long time. We had
followed the cows around for years - that is, in the
daytime - but had never caught them drinking fluid of
that color."
Mark Twain, Extract from Eve's
Autobiography