3 ms·

Power supplies don't supply electrons. Amount of electrons in the circuit is pretty much static and it's just a property of matter itself. If there is to be ele

by megous 4y ago

Power supplies don't supply electrons. Amount of electrons in the circuit is pretty much static and it's just a property of matter itself. If there is to be electric current (or better said a transmission of power), (free) electrons must already be present in the whole circuit. Power supplies just supply power via various mechanisms and this power is distributed in the circuit using electric fields without electrons moving much at all.

mort96 4y ago
If we're talking about DC, power supplies absolutely make electrons move; the amount of electrons in the circuit is constant, but the system does work because electrons move from one end to the other. Now these electrons aren't moving fast, but they are moving. At least that's a prevalent and very useful picture of how electricity works, and what's being taught in university courses. It's probably a good enough explanation to answer "why can too much power destroy electronics if electronics control how much current they draw".
- megous 4y ago
  The movement of electrons is almost irrelevant to the functioning of the circuit or transfer of power, and is only thought maybe in the first electronics lesson and then never again. (at least that's how it was when I studied EE school) And it has not much to do with the electrical current. (certainly not in the way most non-EE educated people would imagine it as individual electrons moving around carrying energy from palce to place)
  - mort96 4y ago
    > An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. From Wikipedia, sourced from The art of electronics. Do you have a link to an explanation of what current is which makes the movement of charged particles almost irrelevant? If it turns out I (and Wikipedia, and all material I've seen on the topic) is wrong, I'd certainly love to know. I'm just interested in this stuff; I have only taken introductory courses at university and learned on a hobby basis, I haven't taken advanced courses.
    - megous 4y ago
      I said it's irrelevant to transfer of power. (I guess I kinda overstepped with it being irrelevant to electrical current, yes :)) And power is what destroys things, mostly, by over heating them and transforming them into a different shape that no longer functions as expected. > Do you have a link to an explanation of what current is which makes the movement of charged particles almost irrelevant? Not really, but consider when was this slow drift (~3 mm/s) of electrons ever of interest/topic in your education, instead of much faster changes in charge distribution on the surfaces of conductors caused by (or creating) electrical fields? 3 mm/s is extremely slow, you'd very much notice if any phenomenon you routinely worked with in EE courses was this slow.

by megous 4y ago

mort96 4y ago

If we're talking about DC, power supplies absolutely make electrons move; the amount of electrons in the circuit is constant, but the system does work because electrons move from one end to the other. Now these electrons aren't moving fast, but they are moving. At least that's a prevalent and very useful picture of how electricity works, and what's being taught in university courses. It's probably a good enough explanation to answer "why can too much power destroy electronics if electronics control how much current they draw".

megous 4y ago
The movement of electrons is almost irrelevant to the functioning of the circuit or transfer of power, and is only thought maybe in the first electronics lesson and then never again. (at least that's how it was when I studied EE school) And it has not much to do with the electrical current. (certainly not in the way most non-EE educated people would imagine it as individual electrons moving around carrying energy from palce to place)
- mort96 4y ago
  > An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. From Wikipedia, sourced from The art of electronics. Do you have a link to an explanation of what current is which makes the movement of charged particles almost irrelevant? If it turns out I (and Wikipedia, and all material I've seen on the topic) is wrong, I'd certainly love to know. I'm just interested in this stuff; I have only taken introductory courses at university and learned on a hobby basis, I haven't taken advanced courses.
  - megous 4y ago
    I said it's irrelevant to transfer of power. (I guess I kinda overstepped with it being irrelevant to electrical current, yes :)) And power is what destroys things, mostly, by over heating them and transforming them into a different shape that no longer functions as expected. > Do you have a link to an explanation of what current is which makes the movement of charged particles almost irrelevant? Not really, but consider when was this slow drift (~3 mm/s) of electrons ever of interest/topic in your education, instead of much faster changes in charge distribution on the surfaces of conductors caused by (or creating) electrical fields? 3 mm/s is extremely slow, you'd very much notice if any phenomenon you routinely worked with in EE courses was this slow.