When electrons that are moving through a wire come to a "crossroads," do they divide or choose?

ebeowulf17

Joined Aug 12, 2014
3,307
The good Dr. is not discrediting simple applications of KVL, he's showing, like you did, that modified KVL (adding EMF sources) is really a Faraday law solution to a non-conservative field problem, not KVL as defined with conservative fields (a electrostatic field being conservative). A version of KVL that is completely consistent with Faraday's Law is Faraday's Law.
Thanks for the clarification! I halfway expected someone to jump down my throat and tell me I was totally off base. I'm relieved to know that my understanding of the basic circuit, as well as its apparent measurement anomalies, is basically ok.

It sounds like Mehdi (ElectroBOOM) may have misunderstood Dr. Lewin's intent. I certainly admit that I don't understand the deeper theoretical stuff going on here, and wouldn't dream of trying to out-think those with proper physics training when it comes to the intricacies of KVL or Faraday's Law. I also admit that I haven't watched Dr. Lewin's lectures, so what I know of his original claims is mostly what's referenced in the ElectroBOOM video, which may have been a little misleading in that regard.

As for different versions of KVL, this is all brand new to me. The version I'd learned (just a few years ago, from the internet) was a fairly simple, plain-english version of it that basically says the sum of all the voltage drops equals the sum of all the EMF sources. I didn't realize that would be considered "modified KVL." That little distinction right there certainly goes a long way towards clearing up the confusion.

P.S. I love the Escher inclusion!
 

One1

Joined May 2, 2019
10
When electrons that are moving through a wire come to a "crossroads," do they divide or choose?

Simple..... electrons do not push, they are pulled.
 

nsaspook

Joined Aug 27, 2009
13,086
Thanks for the clarification! I halfway expected someone to jump down my throat and tell me I was totally off base. I'm relieved to know that my understanding of the basic circuit, as well as its apparent measurement anomalies, is basically ok.

It sounds like Mehdi (ElectroBOOM) may have misunderstood Dr. Lewin's intent. I certainly admit that I don't understand the deeper theoretical stuff going on here, and wouldn't dream of trying to out-think those with proper physics training when it comes to the intricacies of KVL or Faraday's Law. I also admit that I haven't watched Dr. Lewin's lectures, so what I know of his original claims is mostly what's referenced in the ElectroBOOM video, which may have been a little misleading in that regard.

As for different versions of KVL, this is all brand new to me. The version I'd learned (just a few years ago, from the internet) was a fairly simple, plain-english version of it that basically says the sum of all the voltage drops equals the sum of all the EMF sources. I didn't realize that would be considered "modified KVL." That little distinction right there certainly goes a long way towards clearing up the confusion.

P.S. I love the Escher inclusion!
Non-conservative field modifications for circuits.
https://www.powerelectronics.com/content/circuit-analysis-accounts-magnetic-fields
 
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