Timeline for What determines the direction and cause of electric field exerted on test charges?
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Dec 19, 2018 at 19:11 | comment | added | The Photon | @Vyun, if you have new questions, you should post them as new questions (but do a little research first, you should be able to find an answer to this one pretty easily) | |
| Dec 19, 2018 at 19:07 | comment | added | Vyun | In what conditions touching a circuit line wouldn't do any harm to me? For instance touching the neutral line in a socket. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 23:18 | comment | added | Vyun | "They won't flow through earth unless there are at least 2 connections to earth in your circuit." --> You mean, unless I complete the circuit? "You could connect either the - terminal or + terminal to earth. That would give your circuit a reference to earth, but it wouldn't cause current to flow to or from earth." --> Is that how potential difference (theorically) maintained with generators? | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:30 | comment | added | Vyun | I meanif I connect + to earth, and close the circuit (turn on the device) would the electrons flow from - to + first and than to earth? I couldn't understand your second statement well. I guess it is because I also don'T understand how AC maintains - Voltage. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:27 | comment | added | The Photon | But you don't have to connect a battery powered device to earth at all. Then there won't be any fixed relation between the potentials in the device and earth. It could float 100s of volts above or below the earth potential (due to static charge build up) without affecting its operation. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:26 | comment | added | The Photon | Electrons wouldn't flow into the earth. They'd flow to the + terminal. If the + terminal happens to be connected to earth, then you could say they're flowing to earth. But if the - terminal is connected to earth instead, then they'd flow away from earth. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:24 | comment | added | Vyun | I tried to mean from - to +, and from + to earth. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:22 | comment | added | The Photon | Electrons will flow from the - terminal to the + terminal in a battery powered device. They won't flow through earth unless there are at least 2 connections to earth in your circuit. You could connect either the - terminal or + terminal to earth. That would give your circuit a reference to earth, but it wouldn't cause current to flow to or from earth. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:19 | comment | added | Vyun | So, that means the electrons will flow from + terminal to the Earth in a battery powered device? And in that case, isn't the earth the lower potential? I get that AC has a sine wave, but I don't understand how actually that is maintained and that makes it (for - V values) lower than earth, so the polarity reverses. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:13 | comment | added | The Photon | It's totally common and not at all unusual to have a potential lower than earth. For half of every 50 or 60 Hz cycle, your AC mains supplies a potential lower than earth. Or make a battery powered device, and connect the positive terminal of the battery to earth. All potentials are relative, and you shouldn't think of earth as a lower limit on the potential, just a reference from which to measure other potentials. | |
| Dec 18, 2018 at 18:09 | comment | added | Vyun | First, thank you so much. But, I wonder the real life situations (in regards of your answer to my first two quoted sentences.) And your 3rd answer. What does exactly negative voltage mean? (how can it have lower potential than the Earth?) And for the DC power line, wouldn't connecting the powerline to the wrong terminal cause damage? | |
| Dec 17, 2018 at 16:58 | history | answered | The Photon | CC BY-SA 4.0 |