Timeline for I don't understand how current always chooses the path of least resistance [duplicate]
Current License: CC BY-SA 4.0
12 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
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| Apr 5 at 4:31 | answer | added | KDP | timeline score: 0 | |
| Apr 5 at 3:46 | history | closed |
benrg joseph h Hyperon |
Duplicate of How do electrons know which path to take in a circuit? | |
| Apr 5 at 3:40 | comment | added | march | It doesn't choose the path of least resistance. The current splits in (possibly) unequal amounts in proportion with the resistances of each branch. This still leaves the question of how the current "knows" how to split in this particular way, but it's still worth pointing out, because "The current takes the path of least resistance" is just wrong and leads to misconceptions that are otherwise easily avoided. | |
| Apr 5 at 2:17 | review | Close votes | |||
| Apr 5 at 3:46 | |||||
| Apr 5 at 1:56 | comment | added | benrg | Does this answer your question? How do electrons know which path to take in a circuit? | |
| Apr 5 at 1:49 | comment | added | mmesser314 | The video psychogiraffe linked is useful for seeing how electricity starts propagating when a switch is closed. But his explanation of why isn't as helpful. | |
| Apr 5 at 1:31 | comment | added | Daniel | This is a macro picture of what's going on. Maybe for a picosencond it might go, say, in a path that leads to an open circuit, dead end, until the charge that went into the open circuit builds up the voltage there, to push against any additional current flow. The various circuit laws ignore these phenomena that hardly make a difference, and paint the big picture. | |
| Apr 5 at 1:11 | comment | added | Mauricio | Any problem in physics can be framed into an optimization problem. Why current does what it does because it is optimal given the constraints of physics. | |
| Apr 5 at 1:06 | answer | added | freecharly | timeline score: 0 | |
| Apr 5 at 1:04 | history | edited | Mauricio | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
edited title
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| Apr 5 at 0:53 | comment | added | psychgiraffe | Perhaps this video would help. The electrons don't flow instantaneously. youtube.com/watch?v=2AXv49dDQJw | |
| Apr 5 at 0:48 | history | asked | Saad | CC BY-SA 4.0 |