guise,
the water analogy doesn't work for me, i still don't really understand volts and amps and watts and ground and whatever.
pretend i'm 10 and not too fucking old to keep going back to this cesspool of humanity that is 4chan and explain it to me
I never used the water analogy either OP. The analogy I came up with is as follows, and has helped me:
Imagine current as a stream of people. How fast these people are walking is the current. Each of these people is also holding some tangible object, I like to imagine it as a box. This box is the voltage.
To take this a step further, consider a circuit in parallel. When the stream of people hit the branch that goes to parallel, the stream of people is split, yet they are all still holding the same box (voltage).
Imagine a circuit with resistors in series, the stream of people is constant because they have nowhere to split to. However, at each load or resistor, some people must give up their box (i.e. current is constant, voltage varies)
Wire = Hose
Amps = Diameter of Hose
Volts = Water pressure
Watts = Gallons per minute
Below is an example of a high current, high voltage power supply.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OXc5ltzKq3Y
>>956486
So imagine there's a corridor. On one end is a ghetto, on the other there's a KFC.Obviously, there are a lot of niggers going to get dem sweet sweet chicken pieces or whatever. Now let's shift out attention to a certain cross-section of the corridor and see what's happening there. At any given moment of time, there's going to be an amount of nigger passing through that particular cross-section of the corridor. A nigger is hungry - the hungrier he is, the faster he wants to get from the ghetto to the KFC. That's your volts (how "strong"the current is). Then again, there may be multiple niggers passing trough our piece of the corridor at any moment of time. Let's unpause time for exactly one second and count the niggers that pass us in this time. This is your nigger flow in [nps]=niggers per second. That's current - amperes. Difference in niggers are hungry in the ghetto and the are sated in the KFC - there's a difference in hunger level (voltage difference, potential) between the ghetto and the KFC, hence the nigger travel. If the niggers were full at the ghetto, the wouldn't need no stinking KFC - no voltage difference, no current. If there is a voltage difference, the blacks will go through the corridor, but how many can go through that corridor in a given time frame depends on many things, particularly on the characteristics of the corridor.
>>956486
you don't need to know how to visualise or think about them if you just learn the rules
ohms law: v=i*r
and kirchoffs laws which is basically voltage is the same at each leg of a node (like if you join 3 wires the voltage will always be the same in all 3 wires) and current in and out of each node sums to 0. (if one of your 3 wires goes to a battery and the two others go to light bulbs the current through both light bulbs adds up to the current from the battery).
power is just current x voltage and isn't immediately useful in theory but in practice its a good way to make sure you don't melt components.
for example you have a 12v battery connected to a 10 ohm resistor
apply kirchoffs voltage law, the voltage across the battery must be the same as the voltage over the resistor = 12v
from ohms law the current in the resistor = 1.2A
so far so good
but if you consider power in the resistor, voltage x current = 12x1.2 = 14.4W or something.
all fine in theory but normally a resistor has a power rating of 1/4W, thats the power it can dissipate before it bursts into flame so the resistor here is toast.
then you can go learn about norton and thevenin equivalents and do some practice about them.
you just have to be comfortable breaking down a circuit to work out the current and voltage at each node.
for nets of resistors you ususally add all your resistors up (sum them in series, 1/rt = 1/r1 + ... 1/rn for parallel) to find the total resistance and then the total current, then use kirchoffs current laws and ohms law to work out the voltage drops over series blocks then use kirchoffs current rules or ohms law to work out the current/voltage in parallel set.
forget all that water shite.
>>956486
The water analogy isn't even remotely correct in the first place. People need to stop using analogies for electricity. There's nothing that is correct. Everything you try to use for it breaks down the moment you go past simple shit.
I mean shit, you don't use another analogy to describe water and water flow do you?
Take this course:
https://www.edx.org/course/circuits-electronics-1-basic-circuit-mitx-6-002-1x
![1420573989421[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/EWeMZml.jpg "1420573989421[1].jpg")
>>956496
>never taught analogies
>learned the equations and laws and just understood it
Your circuit is like being a genius trying to get an idiot to understand your genius. The source is your brain or genius pump. The wire is the medium you're using to convey your genius ideas. The voltage is effort you use to convey your genius ideas. The amps are the idea you want to convey. The resistor is an idiot. He takes all your effort to teach the idea but let's all the knowledge pass on through.
>>956496
Sadly, I think this was the most accurate one.
>>956486
analogies are fucking stupid....
an amp is a number of electrons flowing past a point at a time.
voltage is the difference in potential between 2 points.
more difference in potential energy, the faster an electron can move.
high voltage high amperage = lots of electrons moving fast.
high voltage low amperage = low amount of electrons moving fast.
resistance will slow down these electrons, and some are 'absorbed' and turned into heat... think of it like mud that slows electrons.
>>956486
The analogy really works, to understand the principles look up 'bondgraaf modelling' it explains modelling of physical systems on a higher level (i.e. without a specific context such as electricity or water) and thus making it useful to do inter domain modelling and also to explain concepts such as this.
By the way, the picture you posted is kinda wrong, a pump generally models a current source, not a voltage source.
In short:
Think of the water droplets as electrons/charge particles.
Water Pressure = voltage
Water flow = current
Water restriction = (you guessed it) resistance
Next to that a bit more advanced:
Tank connected to the pipe = capacitor (stores water/charge)
voltage x amps = watts (energy transfer in a unit time)
water pressure x water flow = watts (energy transfer)
you can consider ground as mostly a 'reference' for other points in the circuit or diagram. You cannot say something is 5V without specifying a 0V point. This is even more obvious in the water domain, Volts -> pressure. You cannot say in your example, the pressure at the point with 'F' is 20 pascal for example. You'd have to say 20 pascal with respect to ground. Or you could say a pressure difference of 20 pascal over resistance R.
>>956836
I understood this when i was 10
instead of trying to think up analogies do some worked examples until you start to make sense of it
the real problem with analogies is that the person making them understands the material while the student doesn't
if you do the work you gain a real understanding of it.
did you ever go to school?
ok guys today we are doing chemistry. chemicals are like lego, you build things out of parts. wow so simple.
>>956496
You just helped me understand how atoms can steal electrons, thanks anon!
mfw atoms are niggers
>>956871
Actually, in my analogy the electrons are the niggers.
Maybe you can imagine the atoms as white slavelords?
>>956692
>mfw noticed by sempai
>>956713
Come on, it's not like i'm racist or something. I figured that if a kid comes do /diy/ for answers and can't figure the relation between flow and pressure in water, his brain needs a little prod. Might as well use stereotypes.
Also i'm sorry for the typos, i was drunk when i wrote this.
>>956486
Unless you're going to use the posted KFC analogy, abandon analogies as others have stated.
Voltage is a measurement of potential energy. Amperage is a measurement of charge per time.
When you think of current, don't think of one or more electrons running in a circle around your circuit. Current is a movement of charge. Electrons simply move from one position to the next available position. The molecular structure of different materials makes this process easier or more difficult. If the available electrons are strongly bound to their nucleus then they won't move as seen in insulators.
>>956884
Yes I understand electrons are niggers also, but so are atoms. I now see there are different type of microscopic niggers just like there are different type of normal sized niggers. Niggers come in all shapes and sizes and its up to us to classify them and catalog them by their behavior.
Electron niggers are like niggers in the hood hustling through an alley to the kfc.
Atom niggers are like the gib me dats in the projects.
The nobal gasses with their outer electron rings full are like this nigger, you see how smug he looks?
>>956722
>analogies are fucking stupid....
> think of it like mud that slows electrons.
>>956765
>The analogy really works
No, it handicaps people with giving them completely false information.
>>956503
>I mean shit, you don't use another analogy to describe water and water flow do you?
No, because it's tangible.
>>956722
Analogies are not stupid, but this one is! Electrons cannot be compared with water.
>>956968
No, they're used to help people get a feel on it instead of them having to recite a bunch of laws and formulas just to figure out what happens with the amps if you increase voltage.
You can't get an advanced understanding on something if you can't even get the basics.
>>956968
than what is the completely false information? All the equations are literally the same over multiple domains.
>>956722
Analogy works perfectly fine
a rate of flow is the number of water particles flowing past a point at a time.
Pressure is the difference in pressure between two points
more difference in potential energy, the faster the water particle can move
high pressure high rate of flow = lots of water particles moving fast
high pressure low rate of flow = low amount of water particles moving fast
resistance will slow down these water particles, some energy is absorbed and turned into heat
imagine it like rubbing two sticks together for fire
the current is how fast you can rub the sticks together and the voltage is how badly you want to rub the sticks together.
don't worry about what electricity "looks like" just do the calculations and use them as you need them. The physics of it doesn't really matter at your level of understanding.
>>956987
>Analogy works perfectly fine
hhahah no
>>956486
Funnily enough when I was learning electronics they used the water analogy.
When I was learning hydraulics they used electricity...
>>957151
Can you do something other than plug your ears and cry
At least post a reaction image or something
>>956540
Love, love is the answer.
The problem with the water analogy is that pressure is brought about by a resistance of flow.
Zero water pressure means maximum flow and water pressure becomes maximum at zero flow.
Voltage is more like the pump pushing the water but still that is not quite right.
>>956486
Maybe these articles will help
http://amasci.com/ele-edu.html
>>958046
Wow, that's actually a pretty good analogy.
>>958046
I think we have a winner
>>958046
besides the cancer, it's a pretty good explaination.
>>956722
This is correct. Disregard all other shit.
>>960845
How fast are these fast and slow moving electrons going? Let me go get my stopwatch and ruler.
>>956486
why the fuck do you even need a water analogy?
if you can't understand basic electrical concepts then just accept that you are a failure
>>956496
Your nigger analogy isn't good enough. Let's add some addendums.
We all know that there's never one good way to get somewhere, and these niggers are damn hungry. Let's take a cross section of the path to that there KFC. This section is full'a fences, but that ain't gonna stop them niggers. It's going to slow them down but we all know that if there were ever an Olympic gold medal for fence-jumping, these niggers would take it for sure.
The degree at which these fences slow down them niggers is a constant factor called resistance.
Let's say that the number of niggers flowing out the ghetto is constant, meaning the voltage difference stays the same, because they be popping out hungry ass babies all the time. In this case, the speed of the niggers will slow down, resulting the nigger flow [nps] to drop, reducing amperage.
Now lets say we've got a bunch of giganiggers who can hop these fences like no one's business. In this case the nigger flow [nps] is constant, but to do this we gotta prep the bull. We bring the food to the niggers to control the nigger flow, making them less hungry to get to that damn KFC, making them cross them fences at the rate we want them to.
>>961837
So the number of niggers is both amperage and voltage?
>>961965
No, fences slow down the nigger flow when they're popping out hungry babies at a constant rate. You're not doing anything about their hunger.
But if you want to control the nigger flow you have to feed the niggers at the ghetto.
>>958046
The original of this was actually used in our electricity course for adults.
Some people still didn't seem to get it ....
>>956486
It is more than just an analogy, there is a whole field known as fluidics where one treats fluids like electrons:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluidics
In addition, on small enough scales electrons can behave similiarly to fluids:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron_liquid
And we can make electronic analogs of fluidic elements:
http://m.phys.org/news/2009-11-digital-electronics-concept-law.html
>>956486
Its easy
You have eletrical current flowing through some wire like water through a pipe.
What the volts for the electricity are, are the same as flowrate for the water.
What the amps for the electricity are is the pressure for the water.
A car battery with low 12v but high amps is like a high pressurr washer. It has the same output ammount of water he gets in drom the gardenhose, but the pressure will fuck you up if you vome in contact with it.
The opposite is high current or amount of wather with low pressure. In electricity its like an elektroschocker or a big jug of water hitting you. You may fall down but it wont harm you.
Volts is the amount of electricity going through, amps is the force of this electricity.
>>962250
gr8 b8 m8 i r8 8/8
