Re: Voltaic Pile of Confusion

[Jack Uretsky <jlu@HEP.ANL.GOV>]

Hi all-
        Interesting thought:  Changing the "zero" from which potential
is measured is like a gauge transformation.
                                Regards,
                                        Jack

On Sat, 29 Jul 2000, John Denker wrote:

> > At 16:17 7/29/00 -0400, Tom McC asked:
> > > ... What is the best way to view how the
> > > electrons all achieve a specific voltage in an arrangement where x batteries
> > > are hooked up in series.  In other words, how is an electron produced in one
> > > battery affected by the presence of another battery?
_______________________________________snip_______________________________
> carries.  A conveyor trying to convey a marble up the Nth step of a
> staircase does not care whether N=1 or N=3 or whatever.  Once a marble is
> available at the input of the conveyor, nobody cares how the marble got there.
>
> This illustrates a deep principle of physics, namely the principle of
> _gauge invariance_ (which has other applications as well).