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[no subject]

I wonder why we continue to torture ourselves with unfortunate misused
language. I certainly don't mean to say that this is John's fault, but
that we all perpetuate ill formed definitions. It is in deed unfortunate.

Jim Green

At 08:54 31 05 2001 , you wrote:
John S. Denker wrote:

> =====================
>
> The term "EMF" carries the following unfortunate baggage:
> 1) The quantity it represents is an energy per unit charge,
> so why call it a force?
>

Here's one thought on the name, which didn't occur to me until I saw the
table in a thermo text. I'm not saying it is a great reason, but it at
least makes historical sense.

SYSTEM GENERALIZED GENERALIZED WORK
FORCE DISPLACEMENT
===================================================
Hyrodstatic pressure volume -PdV
Wire force length FdL
Magnetic H field magnetization muHdM
Battery emf charge (emf)dZ



Some intensive quantity ("force") times some extensive quantity
("displacement") gives work. The approriate "force" for the battery is the
emf.



Tim Folkerts
FHSU


Jim Green
mailto:JMGreen@sisna.com
http://users.sisna.com/jmgreen