220 vs. 110 cost

[Alchymist]

Not quite. Depends on the type of conductor, but no electron flow in a conductor reaches the speed of light. None, Nada! And, a tangled extension cord WILL slow it down. Perhaps not enough to measure without sophisticated instruments, but it will slow it down.

As an electron enters one end of a conductor another (different) electron exits the other end. This process occurs at the speed of light.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

(until somebody with a PHD in physics explains otherwise)

http://www.cablinginstall.com/artic...y-and-delay-skew-remain-important-issues.html

 

[djjsr]

Interesting article on cabling but most of it made no sense to me. I actually don't understand most of that stuff. That's why I'm waiting for someone with a PHD in physics to explain it, hopefully in terms that a meatball can understand.

 

[Alchymist]

Interesting article on cabling but most of it made no sense to me. I actually don't understand most of that stuff. That's why I'm waiting for someone with a PHD in physics to explain it, hopefully in terms that a meatball can understand.

If it could be explained in terms a meatball could understand, we wouldn't need PHDs. Meatballs belong in spaghetti....

 

[Alchymist]

Interesting article on cabling but most of it made no sense to me. I actually don't understand most of that stuff. That's why I'm waiting for someone with a PHD in physics to explain it, hopefully in terms that a meatball can understand.

Read the first few paragraphs:
http://www.picwire.com/technical/velocity_factor.php

 

[nehog]

As an electron enters one end of a conductor another (different) electron exits the other end. This process occurs at the speed of light.

That's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

(until somebody with a PHD in physics explains otherwise)

That's as good an explanation as any.

...
Is that math right or way off base?

Close enough!

 

[91bronc300]

That's as good an explanation as any.



Close enough!

Is that then why more amps generate more heat in a wire? More friction from greater electron speed?

 

[nehog]

Is that then why more amps generate more heat in a wire? More friction from greater electron speed?

Close. Think of it as a bucket brigade (those are the atoms in the copper wire). With a big group of people with one bucket (which are the electrons).

Each person has a bucket, and is allowed to have only one bucket at a time. So when someone hands them a bucket, they have to give the bucket that they have to the next person down the line. It's OK that for a short period they handle two buckets but they can't keep two, only one.

A small current only a few people are swinging those buckets. When a bucket is passed, it goes either left, right or forward, but never backward. Only a few people working, so little heat. Now with big current, almost everyone is passing a bucket to someone else--hence more heat!

 

[bcradio]

If 460V, it would be 265V, not 277V, 460Y/265V is a real odd beast.

Thats why its 480v

120 - 240 - 480