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-----Original Message-----
From: Phys-l [mailto:phys-l-bounces@phys-l.org] On Behalf Of Robert Cohen
Sent: Tuesday, April 08, 2014 4:54 PM
To: Phys-L@Phys-L.org
Subject: [Phys-L] voltage rise/drop terminology
When describing circuits, I refer to the voltage "rise" across a battery and the
voltage "drop" across a resistor. However, in discussions with students, I
think this may be confusing them. It makes them think that there is
something traveling from the battery, that they call voltage (and imagine as
electrons), that gets "used up" in each resistor. This leads them to several
errors. For example, it leads them to think that the last item in a line of bulbs
may not light if there is no "voltage left".
To avoid this confusion (at least until they get a better sense of what is going
on), does anyone see a problem with referring to the voltage "sources" and
"sinks", instead of "rises" and "drops"? Or is there some other language that
is clearer?
Robert A. Cohen, Department of Physics, East Stroudsburg University
570.422.3428 rcohen@esu.edu<mailto:rcohen@po-box.esu.edu>
http://www.esu.edu/~bbq
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