3 ms·

Err, what's wrong with a lump of Galena? The old cat's whisker?

peter_d_sherman 4y ago
Here's my question: WHY does a diode work the way it does? ? That is, WHY is there a one-way flow of electricity? ? Can you explain to me WHY that is, without talking about P-N layers, doping, semiconductors, etc.? You see, I've read pretty much all of the standard explanations for why diodes work the way they do -- but each one of them leaves me scratching my head, saying that "there must be a simpler/more universal/"first principles" understanding about this phenomena -- then what is currently being taught. I want to discover what that is! But we'll never discover what that is as long as we accept standard pat answers to this question... like "it's a bunch of electrons" and "the electrons go one way in this configuration", etc., etc. Those explanations don't seem to give the best understanding to me, at this point in time... We could model the one-way flow of electricity using "minature Elves", "miniature Pixies" (instead of electrons!) -- and all of the math equations would work right (1 electron = 1 Pixie!) -- but it wouldn't leave us any more intelligent about what's really "going on down there" -- reasoning in this way would would make us all dumber -- and it does! Show me the one-way phenomena using a series of physical systems (not just electricity!), then generalize the principle, then show how that principle applies also to electricity and electricial phenomena, then show some experiments that prove this -- and then and only then might I accept that explanation! Until then, I search for a deeper understanding of the one-way electrical phenomena of diodes... The current explanations given -- are not sufficient! A good generalized principle of "one-wayed-ness" (for lack of a better term!) in electricity -- would compare all known one-wayed phenomena in magnetism (show me a one-way magnet!), waves, optics, RF, physical systems, etc., etc. That is, all one-wayed phenomena in physics... Take all of those, extract the general unified principle which causes all of them -- then go back and prove that that's what's happening with electricity in the case of diodes... If someone can do all of that, then I might be persuaded to believe that principle/theory... But not until! Electrons and P-N junctions (if they are even true descriptions!) describe effect... they do not describe cause(!) -- and that's if electrons (as minature particles -- as opposed to other physical phenomena, i.e., waves, fields, space displacements, vibrations, etc.) really exist! Nothing's wrong with galena (or any other diode-making material for that matter!) -- but I still don't understand WHY the galena (or any other diode making material!) works the way it does... But, nothing is wrong with galena for diode-making!

Here's my question: WHY does a diode work the way it does? ? That is, WHY is there a one-way flow of electricity? ? Can you explain to me WHY that is, without talking about P-N layers, doping, semiconductors, etc.? You see, I've read pretty much all of the standard explanations for why diodes work the way they do -- but each one of them leaves me scratching my head, saying that "there must be a simpler/more universal/"first principles" understanding about this phenomena -- then what is currently being taught. I want to discover what that is! But we'll never discover what that is as long as we accept standard pat answers to this question... like "it's a bunch of electrons" and "the electrons go one way in this configuration", etc., etc. Those explanations don't seem to give the best understanding to me, at this point in time... We could model the one-way flow of electricity using "minature Elves", "miniature Pixies" (instead of electrons!) -- and all of the math equations would work right (1 electron = 1 Pixie!) -- but it wouldn't leave us any more intelligent about what's really "going on down there" -- reasoning in this way would would make us all dumber -- and it does! Show me the one-way phenomena using a series of physical systems (not just electricity!), then generalize the principle, then show how that principle applies also to electricity and electricial phenomena, then show some experiments that prove this -- and then and only then might I accept that explanation! Until then, I search for a deeper understanding of the one-way electrical phenomena of diodes... The current explanations given -- are not sufficient! A good generalized principle of "one-wayed-ness" (for lack of a better term!) in electricity -- would compare all known one-wayed phenomena in magnetism (show me a one-way magnet!), waves, optics, RF, physical systems, etc., etc. That is, all one-wayed phenomena in physics... Take all of those, extract the general unified principle which causes all of them -- then go back and prove that that's what's happening with electricity in the case of diodes... If someone can do all of that, then I might be persuaded to believe that principle/theory... But not until! Electrons and P-N junctions (if they are even true descriptions!) describe effect... they do not describe cause(!) -- and that's if electrons (as minature particles -- as opposed to other physical phenomena, i.e., waves, fields, space displacements, vibrations, etc.) really exist! Nothing's wrong with galena (or any other diode-making material for that matter!) -- but I still don't understand WHY the galena (or any other diode making material!) works the way it does... But, nothing is wrong with galena for diode-making!