Re: emf, potential, voltage

[brian whatcott <inet@INTELLISYS.NET>]

At 23:20 3/12/01 -0500, Bob Sciamanda wrote:
> Consider any two terminal device with a current of I amperes flowing
> through it down a potential hill of V volts.  That means there is an
> electrostatic field in the device which is giving energy to the charge
> carriers as they pass through the device, down the potential hill.  If this
> were the whole story, the carriers would emerge from the device with
> increased kinetic energy, and the current out of the device would exceed the
> current into the device.
/snip/
> Bob Sciamanda (W3NLV)
> Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (em)
> trebor@velocity.net
> www.velocity.net/~trebor


Consider a stream of vehicles entering an on ramp at 10 miles per hour.
Let us call the current or 'traffic flow rate' x vehicles per hour.

Before they  merge on the thoroughway, vehicles match speed with the
through way traffic travelling at 30 miles per hour.
 What is their flow rate at this time?

(They have gained kinetic energy, but the on ramp exit current has
*not* increased, the traffic flow rate is *still* x vehicles per hour)



brian whatcott <inet@intellisys.net>  Altus OK
                Eureka!