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Electrons



How do you folks answer the following high school student question?

As electrons move through a circuit, say a battery and single resistor,
energy is given up in the resistor as perhaps, heat or light. Now, what
is different about these electrons after passing through the resistor
compared with before they entered the resistor? They are not moving more
slowly so it is not a kinetic energy situation so where does this heat
come from?

I find it to be the ultimate question if one is to understand what is
happening and I fumble around with the notion of falling through a
potential difference but then we get hung up on a mass that falls
through a height and the energy manifests itself as kinetic so the
metaphor breaks down.

How do (would) you guys answer this to a high school student?

Thanks, David Abineri

--
David Abineri dabineri@choice.net