Electricity Questions
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Why is there sparks coming from my 5 year old house electrical outlets during a thunderstorm. I have had licensed electricians check the ground to earth. Is this spark dangerous? Is there anything I can do to stop this?
Dana E. Smith <dandksmith asng rockymtncable dt com >
Pagosa Springs, C O USA - Sunday, September 07, 2008 at 17:54:50 (PDT)
IN CIRCUITS WHERE THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IONS ARE USED GIVE ITS SIGNIFICANCE
PAVITHRAROOPINI <PROOPINI asng YAHOO.COM>
CHENNAI, TN INDIA - Friday, August 22, 2008 at 06:59:33 (PDT)
Would you please explain a Typical Voltage Sensing Shunt Resistor Circuit?
Sergei <oxvitality asng hotmail dt com @#$%^&*>
union city, ca USA - Wednesday, August 20, 2008 at 22:50:39 (PDT)
Why does an alternator require more force to turn it when a load is connected?
Trey Howard <Gholson asng aol dt com >
Fairhope, Ala USA - Thursday, August 14, 2008 at 07:10:19 (PDT)
What is the purpose of anhydrous ammonia in the production of electricity in the coal-fueled turbine method?
C-208
USA - Wednesday, August 13, 2008 at 23:02:58 (PDT)
How do I convert central air conditioning BTU's for a building into running wattage requirements? How do i calculate the starting wattage requirements?
c.morrison <cdmoon asng earthlink dt net >
citronelle, AL USA - Tuesday, August 05, 2008 at 09:42:40 (PDT)
Could i connect a device that requires 110Voltage and 60Hz to a power source of 110V and 400Hz.
Would the device work?
Tala <tala.khashram asng rj dt com >
USA - Monday, August 04, 2008 at 03:08:03 (PDT)
what is the impact of electricity on the society?
sersh <sershp asng gmail dt com >
thiruvananthapuram, kerala india - Friday, August 01, 2008 at 02:42:35 (PDT)
Is it possible for a motor connected to a generator to produce enough electricity to power itself via a rechargable battery?
James <jamessummerfield asng phs.co.uk>
USA - Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 04:52:15 (PDT)
I seem to have a strange thing happening, and it seems to be "just me". for years now, I have been dealing with everything that I touch...something goes wrong, and it's only electronics. t.v.s, cars(any that I drive) dvd players, watches, among other things. I was told by someone that i had a very strong electromagnetic field around me and it actually can interfere with electronics. I was wondering if there is some sort of truth to this, and if so, what could i do about it. It has nothing to do with accidents, things actually just malfunction when I am around?????
I would love to hear any explanation on this subject.
[ A huge number of people have the same complaint. See http://amasci.com/weird/unusual/zap.html It's usually called "Electric Humans" or "electric people." Sometimes it's just common "static" electricity from low humidity conditions and wearing plastic shoe soles and polyester clothes. But many people say that it happens year round, even in high humidity summer, and is not cured by wearing cotton and going barefoot. For the ones with the "humid summer" version, I'm not aware that anyone has ever perform tests to track this down. -billb] thank you
Mindy <mindy_779602 asng yahoo dt com >
Wasilla, AK USA - Tuesday, July 29, 2008 at 16:53:20 (PDT)
Does it cost money to leave something pluged in and it not be turned on?
Sara <getrdone318 asng yahoo dt com >
Alexandria, LA USA - Friday, July 25, 2008 at 08:10:47 (PDT)
I have an AT&T Blackberry. If I lay it on my kitchen counter it blows my GFI circuit evertime. Should I be concerned?
Alan <seniororacledba asng yahoo dt com >
Canton, Ga USA - Wednesday, July 16, 2008 at 11:38:28 (PDT)
Everytime i rub my fleece blanket there's an electric sparks between it and my fingertips.When i hold our doorknobs or even my bed's silk cover there's something like an electricity that's flowing through my hands. What do you call of this charges? is there anything i can do to prevent it?
leigh <leigh_an atsgn kittymail dt com>
kuwait, Kuwait - Saturday, July 12, 2008 at 05:48:53 (PDT)
its so nice to be here.!!!!!!!!
lenson <y0pakz_rul3 asng yahoo dt com >
USA - Wednesday, July 09, 2008 at 08:24:46 (PDT)
I am looking to buy a kitchen blendor unit. The one I am interested in is 3.5 HP, 20 AMPs, 2400 WATTS (120v a.c., 50 HZ - 60 HZ). The blendor unit comes with a NEMA 5-20R plug (It's one of those plugs where the right prong is horizontal instead of vertical). The blendor unit does come with an adaptor which allows it to plug into a standard electrical recepticle. My question is will this be too much of a power draw from the electrical outlet. I checked the breaker box inside my garage and the switches for the kitchen power have 20 marked on them. I am guessing this means 20 amps? In either case would the blendor unit be suitable for my outlets?
Steve <stvlndn asng yahoo dt com >
mountain house, ca USA - Thursday, July 03, 2008 at 17:21:59 (PDT)
i'm replacing a pool motor that is direct wired. how do i
knnow if it has 110 or 220 going into it without a meter.
it is wired to a wall swith and i thought you could not wire a 220 line to a swith.
walter <epicwalt asng comcast dt net >
vero beach, fl USA - Monday, June 30, 2008 at 08:05:00 (PDT)
why the transmission and generation voltage levels are in multiples of 11? example 11kv, 33kv
Hiren <aminhiren asng yahoo dt com >
los angeles, ca USA - Monday, June 16, 2008 at 13:06:04 (PDT)
1 You were very close.
2 I like the clear concise way you explain this.
Nedra
Bellingham, WA USA - Monday, June 09, 2008 at 13:24:39 (PDT)
Batteries and Generators
1 Electric currents in copper wires are not a flow of electrons.
2 Electrons are not supplied by batteries.
3 Electrons are not supplied by generators.
4 In copper wire, copper atoms supply the electrons.
5 The electrons in a circuit are already there before the battery or generator is connected.
6 The electrons act like a pre-existing fluid which is always found within all wires.
7 In order to understand electric circuits, we must imagine that all the wires are pre-filled with a sort of "liquid electricity."
8 To clarify this, use a hand-cranked generator as your power supply.
9 When we include the generator in the circuit, we find that the circuit is a continuous closed loop, and we can find no single place where the "electricity" originates.
10 A generator is like a closed loop pump, but it does not supply the substance being pumped.
11 Batteries are like this as well.
12 The liquid between the battery plates is an electrolyte, and electrolytes are conductors.
13 Some batteries contain acid, others are alkaline batteries, and still others use conductive salt water.
14 Flowing charges go through the battery, and no charges build up inside.
15 Batteries and generators cause electric charge to flow.
16 All conductors are full of "moveable" charge.
17 A circuit is like a never ending loop of domino tiles, the battery or generator starts the cascade of tiles, but the tiles are always there.
18 When a generator stops, or when the metal circuit is opened, all electrons stop where they are, and the wires remain filled with electric charges.
Nedra
Bellingham, WA USA - Monday, June 09, 2008 at 13:21:45 (PDT)
Electric Currents
1 Electrons do not flow.
2 Alternating current electrons do not sit in place and vibrate.
3 It is the energy in the circuit which flows fast, not the electrons.
4 In a simple circuit, all of the wires are totally packed full of electrons all the time.
5 This is true for all forms of matter.
6 When a battery or generator pumps the electrons at one point in the circuit, electons in the entire loop of the circuit are forced to "flow," and energy spreads almost instantly throughout the entire circuit.
7 This happens even though the electrons do not move.
8 To aid your understanding, imagine a large wheel.
9 If you give it a spin, the entire wheel moves as a unit.
10 The movement of the wheel is like the electrons in a wire.
Nedra
Bellingham, WA USA - Monday, June 09, 2008 at 13:10:10 (PDT)
What will happen if same phase wire connect to two different pressure coils and current coils in kwh meter.Is it posssible?
hari <damulurihari2001 asng yahoo.co.in>
visakhapartnam, AP India - Saturday, June 07, 2008 at 23:52:37 (PDT)
I have a pompous friend who insists that being in a car while it is struck by lightning is safe because a car is a Faraday cage and lightning is a form of electromagnetic radiation. I know that the interior of a car is a safe haven from lightning (they did it on Brainiac, I think), but I'm sure this is because the car just acts as a lightning rod, and I'm extremely sure that lightning does not travel in waves.
So, which is it: lightning is an electromagnetic wave and is stopped by car-shaped Faraday cages, or lightning is not a wave and is stopped by car-shaped lightning rods?
Tyler <themuffinking01 asng gmail.com>
Baltimore, MD USA - Friday, June 06, 2008 at 23:31:57 (PDT)
Would you please let me know The Principle of Calculating the Circuit Breaker and the Wire Size According to the Electrical Load( Amperes ).
Best Regards
Muhammad Kuraan
Muhammad Kuraan <mmhk1957 asng yahoo dt com >
Amman, Jordan - Tuesday, June 03, 2008 at 01:26:24 (PDT)
what is ohms law?
masoud <masoud125 asng yahoo.co.uk>
ipswich, uk - Wednesday, May 28, 2008 at 06:46:40 (PDT)
I have an electrical power plug for my laptop. It says on the plug 65 Watts. Does that mean it consumes 65 watts as long as it is plugged in ? Does the laptop ever say I'm full now, and don't need any more power at this time ?
chas mcg <chasjmcg asng comcast dt net >
willowbeook, il USA - Monday, May 19, 2008 at 07:24:55 (PDT)
I teach electricity and it is difficult to explain and now I have answers for me and for the students. thanks a lot. is there a book of all this material?
kal kaikat <bokal55 asng hotmail dt com >
kuala lumpur, malaysia - Wednesday, May 14, 2008 at 16:54:41 (PDT)
Hi my best friend is in an electric wheel chair. I have recenlty wired up neon lights all around the base and installed speakers into his head-rest but they are all run from seperate batteries and they work fine but this is very basic wireing. Can u please tell me how to wire a three pin plug - applience to a battery, as i am quite confused as to where the three wires go.
thank you
A.Keeler
Andrew Keeler <a.keeler asng hotmail.co.uk>
cardiff, uk - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 13:11:36 (PDT)
In the main service panel, can two ground wires be placed in 1 hole in the neutral/grounding buss bar. I have a GE load center Cat. TL302OC Mod.2. main. I hear that the neutral wire cannot, but the ground wires of 2 circuits can be. Is this OK ( by code )?
Al <pestynarla asng yahoo dt com >
Billerica, Massachusetts USA - Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 12:37:30 (PDT)
Electric charge can appear on a long wire everywhere at c velocity before electrons have a chance to be set into motion. In an inductive circuit like wire the current lags the voltage by 90 degrees. Your assumption that charge is an absence or excess of electrons is in error.
Charge or "E field" is due to photons. These photons move at C velocity and charge up the far end of a wire before electrons have time to move off the wire and into the battery.
Since either positive or negative charge can move down a wire at c velocity, we know that both Protons and Electron shells emit and absorb photons before electrons can even think about hopping atoms.
I believe the basic notion that E field is an excess of electrons needs to be looked at from a physics percpetion and re-thought out. Since the velocity of electrons hopping atoms is far below c, and we can have 1000's of volts appearing at lightspeed miles down a wire, we truly need to correct this missconception.
Sincerely,
David Lowrance
c_s_s_p group
David Lowrance <libra_spirit asng hotmail.com>
Sitka, Ak USA - Friday, May 09, 2008 at 20:46:37 (PDT)
Not a question actually.
Regarding your comment about "was Franklin wrong by stating electrons are negative", besides your arguments, I seem to recall from some physics course that there is an effect called the "Hall effect" which actually proves that electrons are in fact negative.
Good luck with your crusade
Eduardo <lalope asng gmail dt com >
Sćo Paulo, Brazil - Thursday, May 08, 2008 at 12:59:29 (PDT)
Hello,
thanks for very interesting explanations. I found a small
inconsistency in the speed of electrons in the following two answers: (although, both speeds are very slow when compared to the speed of light)
THE "ELECTRICITY" INSIDE OF WIRES MOVES AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT? Wrong.
... Electrons actually flow quite slowly, at speeds on the order of centimeters per minute.
ELECTRIC CHARGES ARE INVISIBLE? No
... Electrons in metals typically flow at a few centimeters per hour, even during high currents. That's slower than the minute hand on a clock!
small error
USA - Wednesday, May 07, 2008 at 12:04:19 (PDT)
Your site is intriguing. You are absolutely correct in regards to the way that K-6 teaches things. I've always wondered why they dumb things down so much. Apparently Electricity is a hard concept to understand?
Thomas
GA USA - Wednesday, May 07, 2008 at 05:40:13 (PDT)
HI Bill, I have a question about my grandmother's house; While I was away our tenents told us that there was a surge in the house; that blew out light bulbs and his clock radio got destroyed. It's an old house; his brother is an electician and tighted something outside of the house. I'm trying to get an understanding what happened. It's an old house; old wiring; do you have any ideas on how this phenmominon can happen? thankyou sir, Frank :)
Frank DeVito <guito_d asng yahoo dt com yyyyyy>
Revere, MA USA - Tuesday, May 06, 2008 at 09:56:33 (PDT)
why carbon brushes are used in motor? why other type of brushes are not? what are types of brushes available.
saran <knssaran asng gmail dt com >
vellore, Tamil nadu india - Friday, May 02, 2008 at 00:16:18 (PDT)
Im confused from what i read...electron flow from the negative terminal of the battery, through the wire, to the positive terminal of the battery, then into the battery and out again from the negative terminal...that would mean that electrons come from the battery, and that not energy is supplied by batteries...but electrons!...also, that electrons would flow as much as water does in a pipe is just as confusing because electrons get excited, yes, release energy in the process, goes back to ground state while releasing energy in the process...that energy is electrical energy, or current, which is transferred from one electron to another...then energy would flow, but not electrons...please help me understand!
dulce amor apita-beato <dulceamorbeato asng yahoo dt com >
manila, Philippines - Thursday, May 01, 2008 at 17:15:44 (PDT)
How many home electronic equipments can be connected if the circuit has 3 Ampere current flow?
samu <thomas_thomasin asng yahoo dt com >
bangalore, india USA - Wednesday, April 30, 2008 at 02:31:53 (PDT)
the didtance from the east cost to the west cost is about 7770 Kilometer (about 300 miles). how many times can electricity travel this ditance in just one second?
that is the only question i have.
thank you :)
Jo-Anne Morrison <k.a.jo-anne asng hotmail dt com >
mississauga, ONT Canada - Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 07:52:50 (PDT)
Why is static electricity important?
javaris <jmoney_2011 asng hotmail dt com >
tampa, FL USA - Wednesday, April 02, 2008 at 05:51:03 (PDT)
Why are there only four potentials, L1 L2 L3 & N, and there are no potentials that are greater?
Another question is exactly what is going on when current is 90 degrees out of phase with voltage in AC? Does that mean voltage(magnetic field) is ahead of the electrons(current)?
Why the pathagorean therum works so well for AC calculations, like solving for impedance? I know how to do the calculations, but i do not what it means?
Can you put that up on the site, thank you.
tito <^^^ TIESTO1776 asng **** OOHAY . !!!! COM>
USA - Monday, March 31, 2008 at 17:35:12 (PDT)
Hai, my name is Marungkil Pasaribu. Iam a post graduate student at Malang University, Indonesia. A part of my disertation topic is to find a type of student misconception in static electricity based on their stage cognitive development. And by now there is a sandwich progrom from my government to student who want to study more about their disertation. So if you don't mind could you please to become my supervisor and give me a letter of acceptance?
Sincerelly
Marungkil Pasaribu <pasar67 asng yahoo dt com >
Malang, Indonesia - Friday, March 28, 2008 at 01:01:31 (PDT)
¸Į”ļˇŅ‹ą—Z
¸Į”ļˇŅ‹ą—Z
vilo <johnking3004 asng yahoo dt com >
Toktyo, Tk Japan - Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 02:36:46 (PDT)
Is ELECTRICITY then an effect?
Ben <Necroben asng yahoo dt com 12345>
Athens, GA USA - Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 19:50:42 (PDT)
Thanks you for your work, it has been a great read. Are you familiar with the electric model of the universe? Q: I can't help but suspect that if electricity always produces a magnetic field that an ordinary magnet is also interacting with the universe/space in an electrical relationship, is it?
Joe Hunt <joeshunt asng gmail dt com >
Brantford, on Canada - Monday, March 17, 2008 at 19:29:21 (PDT)
Why and which electrical appliances required more starting current as compare to running current
dmjaffar <dmjaffar asng yahoo dt com >
Quetta, balochistan Pakistan - Friday, March 14, 2008 at 03:42:00 (PDT)
WHAT DO THE TREMS AC12 AND NON AC12 MEAN
nigel <nigel.mccoy asng gvcltd dt net >
sunderland, ENGLAND - Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 08:50:19 (PDT)
The same number of electrons enter a load as leave it so what IS different on the downstream side that can be measured as a voltage drop?
jonathan schneider <quonsetqueen asng msn dt com >
Saugatuck, MI USA - Sunday, March 09, 2008 at 11:33:59 (PDT)
When you turn on more lights and appliances in your home, the current in the circuits is greater. Why is this, given that you are adding more resistance with each component?
JoAnn Fields <chleo asng nalu dt net >
Batesville , IN USA - Tuesday, February 26, 2008 at 15:00:33 (PST)
When using jumper cables on a car battery, why do the positive terminals spark while the negative ones do not?
Shayn Herpich
USA - Friday, February 22, 2008 at 22:08:33 (PST)
what can a large current of elecrity do to our bodies??
matthew bufton <matto003007 asng hoymail.co.uk>
Dunstable, bedfordshire england - Friday, February 15, 2008 at 02:15:06 (PST)
i just wanna ask if electric can move by itself.Please answer me asap.thanks
norie ann quiroquiro <annejun_0677>
cebu, philippines philippines - Tuesday, February 05, 2008 at 23:09:00 (PST)
How does the electricity provider connect and disconnect supply to an existing meter ?
Forbes <forbes asng aussiemail dt com .auXX>
Melbourne, Aus - Tuesday, January 29, 2008 at 18:39:15 (PST)
What does it mean when a outlet tests as "Open ground" - is it anything to worry about?
J Taylor <gooptaylor asng yahoo dt com >
Duluth, MN USA - Monday, January 28, 2008 at 20:51:42 (PST)
what are some dangerous situations involving current electricity
Quepper
- Saturday, January 26, 2008 at 08:30:43 (PST)
Sir,
I had lot of confusion regarding basic of electricity, iwant to know what does sine waveform to do with charge flowing and voltage ,and when say voltage is negative in waveform what it means ?Can this be explained with water analogy ,it is really cofusion for me, since i found your articles really dealing with thse confusion, i hope to get answers on this queery very soon.
ASHOK <ashok.pcessentials asng gmail dt com >
Pune, maharashtra India - Thursday, January 24, 2008 at 01:01:26 (PST)
Which would fall faster a fat person or a person with really big nostrils
Anna Mason <cute_koala73 asng hotmail dt com >
St Albans, Hertfordshire uk - Monday, January 21, 2008 at 04:45:06 (PST)
I just wanted to say thanks. I've worked with electricity all my life but never really understood it. Though I think your still a little wrong. Mankind just doesnt know everything yet. And no one is perfect. It's great to finally get the jist of it. I have read a number of books on it. None of them really answering questions, just making me more confused.
You should really write a book for young adults, or everyone on the planet.
Misinformation is whats wrong with this world.
Now I gotta figure out EXACTLY how antennas work!
Dick Lewis
USA - Sunday, January 20, 2008 at 21:10:17 (PST)
Dear Bill,
It was a great thing to discover your wonderful website on Understanding Electricity yesterday quite accidentally. I am a retired science teacher and also a born-again Christian.
Ever since I was a student in school learning the Ohm’s Law in the beginning, I had a question which nobody could answer satisfactorily. I hope you are the right person to answer it. Kindly reply it, please.
The question is a kind of thought experiment based on Ohm’s Law: Let us imagine a battery, say, a 10 Volts type, which is on the Earth and a resistance, say 10 Ohms, placed on the Moon. Let us also imagine a pair of conductors connecting the battery and the resistance via a switch. Let us also accept that the conductors have no resistance at all.
Now, when the switch is turned ON a current of 1 Amp should flow through the resistance on the Moon. I think this 1 Amp current should consist of 10 to the power 19 electrons (if I am not mistaken!) and these electrons should ‘at a time come out of the battery’ at the very instant of switching.
Here, my question is: How can the battery ‘know’ that it has to send exactly those many electrons (as per Ohm’s Law) to travel around the total path of nearly 600,000 Kms “like a train running at 300,000 Kms per second”. This ‘Current Train’ will take about two seconds to complete the circuit! So even before completing the ‘circuit’ how will the battery determine the 1Amp current, as in this condition (open circuit, for 2 seconds!) Ohm’s Law cannot be applied?
I see two possibilities: 1- No current will flow, 2- A current can only flow if an instantaneous reporting element exists in the universe to satisfy the nature of electric flow ( supporting Ohm’s Law). Can the Heavyside Theory be taken into account?
Thank You.
Sincerely yours,
Satya Shobhan Das
satyashobhandas asng rediffmail dt com
satyashobhan das <satyashobhandas asng rediffmail dt com >
BALASORE, ORISSA INDIA - Friday, January 18, 2008 at 23:55:29 (PST)
