Re:DC Circuit Water Analogy (1998)
by sandworm101 on Monday January 24, 2022 @12:19PM
(#30060700)
>> cling there under surface tension = Static charges. When a walk in wool socks on a wet carpet my socks pick up water. When I walk on a dry carpet my socks pick up electrons.
>> expand, and break open its insulation = an arc causes by too much electricity in too thin a pipe.
>> it doesn't evaporate and condense on cold surfaces = electro vapor deposition aka physical vapor deposition
The 2nd one would be less like an arc and more like the wire/conductor getting too hot and melting/failing.
Arcing (or shorting in general) would probably be more akin to water's tendency to find the lowest point.
Re:DC Circuit Water Analogy (1998)
by edmcnulty101 on Monday January 24, 2022 @12:24PM
(#30060786)
Also not advised to drink electricity.
If only! My apartment was recently destroyed by water that refused to do exactly that...
Electricity also doesn't freeze solid, expand, and break open its insulation; it doesn't evaporate and condense on cold surfaces and cling there under surface tension, it doesn't drip down.
But the analogy is still a pretty useful one for people who have lots of hands-on experience with water and not much with electricity, or vise-versa.