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Re: EMF

I would argue against a term like "voltage" because it has a much broader
meaning. If we are concerned only with the energy per unit charge supplied
by a battery, why not something like "electrochemical potential difference"
or EPD.

poj

----- Original Message -----
From: "Barlow Newbolt" <newboltw@WLU.EDU>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Saturday, 23 March, 2002 16:21
Subject: Re: EMF


About three years ago I believe we gave up the fight about alternatives
(the source notion doesn't appeal to me because the current is the same
everywhere) and agreed that voltage was about the best that we could do.
W. B. Newbolt

kowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU 03/23/02 16:27 PM >>>
The positive terminal of a battery is a source but its negative
terminal is a sink (for the electric field lines). We need a term
for something that creates the source-sink setup, and tries to
keep it constant.

The term EMF is not likely to disappear, I just wanted to
find a substitute for the word "force" in this abbreviation.
If the EMF term were to be abandoned then EES (electric
energy source), or EC (energy convertor), or ESS (electric
source-sink) could be considered as possible replacements.
Ludwik Kowalski

Bob Sciamanda wrote:

I would propose the term "Electromotive Source" (EMS). This
capitalizes
on the distinction between sources and sinks in a electrical circuit.
An
EMS of 5 Volts calls upon an external energy source to give 5 Joules
of
energy to each coulomb which passes through it (in the "forward"
direction).

Bob Sciamanda (W3NLV)
Physics, Edinboro Univ of PA (em)
trebor@velocity.net
http://www.velocity.net/~trebor
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ludwik Kowalski" <kowalskiL@MAIL.MONTCLAIR.EDU>
To: <PHYS-L@lists.nau.edu>
Sent: Saturday, March 23, 2002 2:43 PM
Subject: EMF

Referring to the EMF my textbook states that the use of the
term electromotive force "is discouraged." We know why.
So what is the alternative? I am hesitating between "frog"
(or frogging) and "food". The first has to do with the old
Galvani-Volta controversy, the second with energy. A
battery of 12 volts, for example, feeds (another f-word?)
each coulomb with 12 joules of energy, at it passes through
it. I think food is more appropriate. Any better alternative?
Ludwik Kowalski