Chronology | Current Month | Current Thread | Current Date |
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] | [Date Index] [Thread Index] | [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] | [Date Prev] [Date Next] |
How does the battery "knows" that it is supposed to put
out more current for different lighbulbs? Mathematically
it makes sense but conceptually it doesn't to me.
2) I am always puzzled by battery cells. Most introductory
physics texts describe their electrical properties. Chemical
reactions taking place in some cells are also described,
occasionally. But all this seems to be a description of what
happens rather than an explanation of why it happens.
I suspect that many on this list would appreciate if
somebody could post a short essay about batteries for an
elementary physics course.
My impression is that electochemical cells can not be explained
at the elementary level;
they are what they are; period.
[Using big words, like Gibbs
potential, QM or double layer, does not contribute to clarity
at the level of my teaching.]