Electricity And Water Analogy

Consider the following water circuit.

Electricity and water analogy. It was used by the physicists at a state s iso independent systems operator that oversaw the reliability of the state s electricity grid to explain how they route electricity to ensure power flows where needed. Again this is a common quantity. Click any part of it for further details. In a direct current dc electrical circuit the voltage v in volts is an expression of the available energy per unit charge which drives the electric current i in amperes around a closed circuit.

The three most basic components of electricity are voltage current and resistance. Electricity and water analogy thread starter jasonbournev. Voltage is like the pressure that pushes water through the hose. Amp or ampere is the unit for current.

This model assumes that the water is flowing horizontally so that the force of gravity can be ignored. Water is continually pumped to high pressure by a pump and then funnelled into a pipe that has lower pressure at its far end else the water would not flow through the pipe and. First we ll cover component comparisons to real systems followed by a bit about general analogies between electricity and water flow themselves and finally a few places where the analogy breaks down. In this case electric potential is equivalent to pressure.

The analogy here is to water pressure. If the plant can t keep up with the demands we experience brown outs a shortage of electric power just like water users at the end of a river would run short on water if the pump were too slow. Hydraulic analogy with horizontal water flow voltage current and charge. Feb 6 2008 1 jasonbournev.

The water analogy is a fitting introduction. A common technique to solidify understanding is to learn the hydraulics analogy of electricity which is arguably easier to visualize than electricity itself. In general electric potential is equivalent to hydraulic head. Dc circuit water analogy this is an active graphic.

We think it does a great job of explaining electricity in really straightforward terms with an imaginative use of a water pump as an analogy. The analogy here is to water flow or more specific the amount of water flowing through a cross sectional area per unit time. Start date feb 6 2008. Electricity explained intro for a long time folks have been wrestling to come up with a comprehensive analogy for basic electrical terms and functions.

But using water as an analogy offers an easy way to gain a basic understanding. So here it is. Think a spigot on a house or a water pump. Electricity 101 voltage current and resistance.