Date:         Mon, 10 Jul 2006 20:30:16 -0700
Reply-To:     BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         BA <oddstray@ODDSTRAY.COM>
Subject:      Re: cigrette lighter  or silver socket - amp problem with air
              compressor
In-Reply-To:  <BAY109-F3263BBA4C878AF9E69ED0EE96B0@phx.gbl>
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On Sun, 9 Jul 2006 20:25:21 -0700, you wrote:

>I'm not very good with understanding amps....

Here's the "electronics as plumbing" analogy ...


Wires are pipes.  

Capacitance is a well that's somewhere along the pipe.  For a while,
the water fills the well and doesn't continue along the pipe.  But if
you fill up the well and keep adding water, then the water simply
keeps on flowing in the pipe.  If you increase the pressure, the water
doesn't fall into the well but just goes straight through the pipe
(that's a blown capacitor!).

A resistance is a narrowing of the pipe.  (Or, a widening of the pipe
which would provide less resistance rather than more).

Amperage is how much water is flowing through the pipe.

Voltage is how much pressure there is on an end of pipe caused by the
pressure of the water on that end of the pipe.

Batteries and generators are water pumps.

Any more that I've missed out?



If you don't understand it using the plumbing analogy, then there's
another lovely analogy.  It's in the book "There Are No Electrons:
Electronics for Earthlings"  ISBN 0962781592.


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