- #1
pinchharmonic
- 13
- 0
Hi,
Originally I had a question about a wire that allows electrons to move to higher voltage. I could not figure out why the wire does not lose electrons to the point it runs out.
The question was answered on these forums when someone mentioned salt bridges, which lead me to watch some video on how a battery works and electrons are removed from zinc atoms through the wire to end up in some copper solution. Then some sulfate ions are passed between the two sides to maintain some potential difference. That explained where the electrons were coming from (the metal plate and the solution), which could run out.
But then I was looking at a video on turbines and simple methods of generating electricity by spinning a coil of wire in a magnetic field. I do understand from my limited physics knowledge of right-hand-rule that a current will generate as that coil spins, but where are the electrons coming from? Wouldn't you run out of electrons?
But I guess that is under the assumption that the generator is producing a current of electrons to the grid.
I guess if it was the other direction, where electrons are actually coming from the grid->the coil it would make more sense, but if that was the case, then the electrons just float off of the wire into the space where the generator is?
Originally I had a question about a wire that allows electrons to move to higher voltage. I could not figure out why the wire does not lose electrons to the point it runs out.
The question was answered on these forums when someone mentioned salt bridges, which lead me to watch some video on how a battery works and electrons are removed from zinc atoms through the wire to end up in some copper solution. Then some sulfate ions are passed between the two sides to maintain some potential difference. That explained where the electrons were coming from (the metal plate and the solution), which could run out.
But then I was looking at a video on turbines and simple methods of generating electricity by spinning a coil of wire in a magnetic field. I do understand from my limited physics knowledge of right-hand-rule that a current will generate as that coil spins, but where are the electrons coming from? Wouldn't you run out of electrons?
But I guess that is under the assumption that the generator is producing a current of electrons to the grid.
I guess if it was the other direction, where electrons are actually coming from the grid->the coil it would make more sense, but if that was the case, then the electrons just float off of the wire into the space where the generator is?