15
votes
Accepted
How do charge carriers "know" how much voltage to use for work in a specific component?
This is communicated to the current through surface charges on the surface of conductors and at the interface between conductors of different conductivities.
So, for example, consider a circuit ...
10
votes
How do charge carriers "know" how much voltage to use for work in a specific component?
Once you accept circuit theory, then things must work as the theory describe. It is still a valid question to ask why is circuit theory true and why circuit theory is apparently non local.
Given there ...
8
votes
How do charge carriers "know" how much voltage to use for work in a specific component?
Anthropomorphizing the physics in this case has made your problem far weirder than necessary. The fact that you have different resistances means there is different current flow for a given voltage. It ...
2
votes
Accepted
If two inductors with different inductances are connected in parallel to a dc circuit, will they have the same current in them at steady state?
The current-voltage relation of an ideal inductor is $v=L\ di/dt$, or equivalently,
$$i(t) = i(0)+\frac{1}{L}\int\limits_0^tv(\tau)d\tau.$$
Now consider the two ideal inductors in parallel, with ...
2
votes
Calculation of the electrical resistance of an anisotropic conductor with spacially varying current density
It's actually simpler to think in terms of conductance. In general, you need to solve for the electric potential using the conservation of current:
$$
\nabla\cdot(\sigma\nabla V) = 0
$$
with $\sigma = ...
2
votes
Voltage across a capacitor in a circuit
"Am I supposed to find the voltage across each resistor first?"
Yes, that's a good first step. [The quick way is to treat the left and right resistor combinations as potential dividers.] ...
2
votes
Accepted
How do non-ideal inductors behave in a circuit?
The 'violation' of Kirchhoff's rules is presumably the summation of the $V_\mathrm{coil}$ $300$V AC drop on the lossy inductor with the $V_{R}$ $200$V AC drop on the resistor
to produce a $400$V ...
2
votes
Understanding surface charges on a resistor and what a voltmeter is measuring
the electric field must be same everywhere in the circuit including the resistor
This is incorrect. The electric field is not the same everywhere in the circuit.
proportionality between the electric ...
1
vote
Reactance of an Inductor
Let $V=V_0\sin(\omega t)$.
For an inductor $V = \displaystyle L\frac{dI}{dt} \Rightarrow \int V\,dt=V_0\int \sin(\omega t)\,dt= L\int dI $
$LI = -\dfrac{V_0}{\omega}\cos(\omega t) + \rm constant$ and ...
1
vote
Accepted
Reactance of an Inductor
Your calculation is correct so far.
But instead of $V(t)=V_0\sin(\omega t)$ start with $V(t)=V_0e^{j\omega t}$. And then repeat your calculation to find $I(t)$.
1
vote
How do I calculate the electrical resistance for a sodium chloride solution?
A non-ohmic conductor is one where there resistance (defined by $R=V/I$) is not constant for different voltages or currents.
If there is a chance the solution is non-ohmic, you need to use a fixed ...
1
vote
Diode confusion
Yes diodes are drawn considering the conventional current. The cathode is the negative side (the side that was heated in 19th century cathode ray tubes to help the process of releasing electrons). The ...
1
vote
What is the angular frequency $\omega$ in which the maximum current occur?
So, by analogy the $I_0$ should exhibit the same behaviour as the amplitude in the force damped oscillation $\dots$
You are comparing two different things so let me explain.
For a mechanical system ...
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