Re: Faraday induction

[Geoff Nunes <gnunes@MAILAPS.ORG>]

"John S. Denker" wrote:
> My recommended solution:  I just talk about "voltage".  It's easy.  It
> removes any temptation to talk about "EMF".

I am of the completely opposite opinion:  I put "voltage" on the same
list as "heat:"  useful to experts but dangerous to initiates.  Consider
the following statement that will appear to you as perfectly benign:
"At this point in your circuit the voltage should be 0.7 V."

What does that really say?  "There should be a 0.7 V potential
difference between this point in your circuit and some other point that
I'm not going to tell you about, so nyah, nyah."

WE know that a voltmeter has not one but two inputs, but do our
students?  In teaching E&M to freshman, I've always re-written
everything replacing V by Delta-V and always being careful to call it a
potential difference instead of "voltage."

Of course, I can't call emf a potential difference.  I am open to a new
name, but in the meantime I have come up with nothing better than
calling it "ee em eff" and refusing to say what the letters stand for.
I am sure that for 95% or more of students, it is not the _name_ that
confuses them.