Timeline for Why does electricity need wires to flow?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
6 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 12, 2013 at 20:27 | comment | added | fffred | First example: a capacitor that is under a given potential (the excess electrons one one side will be attracted to the other side). Second example: a spherical conductor inside an infinite insulator with excess charge on the surface of the conductor (the electrons repel each other so they tend to get push away from the sphere). | |
| Aug 12, 2013 at 19:22 | comment | added | John Alexiou | How do you "force" them into an insulator? | |
| Aug 12, 2013 at 18:46 | comment | added | fffred | Then, what happens to the electrons when you force them in the insulator? Are they repelled? Do they bounce off the insulator to come back in the conductor? | |
| Aug 12, 2013 at 18:28 | comment | added | John Alexiou | Air is an insulator and as seen above, electron will not exist in it conductive band unless they climb out of a potential well. This happens at about $15 \rm{kV/in}$ of potential gradient where there is arcing. | |
| Aug 12, 2013 at 18:16 | comment | added | fffred | How does the difference of conduction answer the question? Are band structures valid for air? Why wouldn't "extra" electrons flow through the insulator? | |
| Aug 12, 2013 at 18:05 | history | answered | John Alexiou | CC BY-SA 3.0 |