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r, < r or exactly = r, depending on the size (volume) of the wirerelative to that of the plates, the geometry of the situation, and probably
On 07/29/2016 04:21 PM, Robert Cohen wrote:
I understand and agree that the ratio is essentially 1.neutral.
However, it is not exactly 1 on the plate. If it was, it would be
On the third hand, the ratio still has no physical significance.
Using notation where
r := N_pos / N_neg
we can also define
q := N_pos - N_neg.
where q is the /charge/.
AFAICT the thing that appears in the Maxwell equations is q, not r.
Furthermore, r alone is not sufficient to determine q. There are ways of
changing r by several orders of magnitude without changing q.
I cannot imagine any practical and/or pedagogical reason for introducing
the concept of r. It's just not a good way to organize the thoughts or
the calculations.
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