Think of how electric potential relates to an electric field.
There is some electric potential associated with a net electric field. At different locations where the electric field is no the same there exist different electric potentials. The difference between the areas of equal potential is the potential difference (the difference between the potentials)...AKA voltage.
So where there is a potential difference between two points there is a difference in the electric potential and an electric field between the two points.
How do charged particles (like electrons) react when placed in an electric field?
They tend to accelerate don’t they? You place an electron in an electric field and it will experience some force which causes it to accelerate.
Well, when you apply a voltage across some object (like a wire), you are creating a electric field which causes the charge carries (electrons in this case) to start to move.
Electric current is the flow of these charged particles.
The difference in electric potential causes the current to flow as the electrons are moving through the electric field in an attempt to lower their potential energy.
It is similar to a rock falling off a cliff due to the gravitational field which exists, pulling the rock down.
2007-03-02 19:04:58
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answer #1
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answered by mrjeffy321 7
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think of a water system; potential difference is the difference in gravitational potential energy, that is, the height difference. If the resistance is low enough (the water can flow) the potential difference nearly determines the flow rate. (a shallow slope can be either interpreted as low potential difference or high resistance).
www.amasci.com has some great physics articles on common misconceptions about electricity, and gives some fair conceptualizations. It also covers other subjects of physics.
2007-03-02 18:57:38
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answer #2
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answered by Paranoid Android 4
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Charges move under the influence of an electric field. The force on a charge in electric field E is F=q*E. An electric field can be described by the potential difference between points in space. Conversely, when you impose a potential difference in a material, an electric field is set up in that material according to the formula E = V/d. Any charges in that field will move and moving charges form an electric current.
Of course this is a simplified description, and in real cases many complication arise, but that is the essence of the problem.
2007-03-02 18:59:08
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answer #3
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answered by gp4rts 7
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current flows because of electrons. whenever a potential difference is created through a battery than a positive and a negative terminals, then electrons are all attracted towards the positive terminal and the current flows.
2007-03-02 22:37:20
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answer #4
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answered by swati 1
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Potential Difference is the difference of level. As the water flows from higher level to lower level, the same philosophy applies here.Flow of electron is always from higher potential to lower Potential.
2007-03-03 07:53:43
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answer #5
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answered by J.L. S 3
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every object has electrons in it . current is produced due to flow of electrons okay. but u dont get current when u touch a normal object because it has 0 potential difference, due to potential difference they start flowing .
2007-03-03 04:14:02
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answer #6
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answered by jj 2
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U can take it like this:
First u should know that the opposite direction of electrons flow is the current flow. So when we give some voltage it unbalances the circuit and the electrons get exited and tries to move to +ve side so the differnce is voltage and electron or hole flow can be taken as current
For more information see: BASIC ELECTRONICS( V.K. MEHTA)
2007-03-02 19:20:49
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answer #7
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answered by abc 1
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modern-day flow is led to by technique of a accessible voltage source like a battery driving electrons through a load like a ordinary bulb. Induction is the competition to a replace of modern-day. it truly is led to by technique of the magnetic field generated by technique of the present. because the present adjustments the magnetic field generates a voltage contained in the conductor that opposes the present replace. The Voltage for the time of an inductor is an identical as L(di/dt)
2016-12-05 04:29:58
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answer #8
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answered by Anonymous
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the current flows cause' of artificialiy created charges.
2007-03-02 19:28:37
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answer #9
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answered by poo 1
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I want to know the answer to this too!
2007-03-02 18:55:17
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answer #10
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answered by BIGDAWG 4
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