Differences
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| 184_notes:gradient [2020/09/22 16:01] – dmcpadden | 184_notes:gradient [2020/09/22 16:04] – dmcpadden | ||
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| There are a few things to notice: | There are a few things to notice: | ||
| - We have drawn a small amount of charges on the surface of the wire. For example, in the top right corner, we have drawn a total of eight negative signs on the outside of the wire. This does not mean that there is exactly eight electrons on the wire. Instead, **this just shows that we expect this area of the wire to have a large concentration of negative charge**. There is no particular reason why we drew eight - we could have picked 12 or 6 or any other number to start with. The important part is that there are more negative signs in this area than any other part of the wire. | - We have drawn a small amount of charges on the surface of the wire. For example, in the top right corner, we have drawn a total of eight negative signs on the outside of the wire. This does not mean that there is exactly eight electrons on the wire. Instead, **this just shows that we expect this area of the wire to have a large concentration of negative charge**. There is no particular reason why we drew eight - we could have picked 12 or 6 or any other number to start with. The important part is that there are more negative signs in this area than any other part of the wire. | ||
| - | - As we move along the wire on the right side, the number of negative decreases from 8 to 6 to 4 to 2. **This represents the gradient of surface charges.** As we move along the wire, we expect there to be a lot of negative surface charges near the battery, and as you get further away along the wire, there should be fewer and fewer negative surface charges. Remember, the //change// in the amount of charge is what makes it a gradient. Similarly, as we approach the positive side of the battery, we draw 2 to 4 to 6 to 8 positive signs to represent the increase in the amount of positive surface charges. Note that there is an area between the negative and positive signs where we have zero surface charges. Together, this means our gradient is continuous along the whole wire (it goes from negative to zero to positive). | + | - As we move along the wire on the right side, the number of negative |
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