Electricity Water Pipe Analogy

As we know diode characteristic is non linear characteristic.

Electricity water pipe analogy. Ohm s law also makes intuitive sense if you apply it to the water and pipe analogy. Electric circuits analogy to water pipes. Water flowing through pipes is pretty good mechanical system that is a lot like an electrical circuit. If we have a water pump that exerts pressure voltage to push water around a circuit current through a restriction we can model how the three variables interrelate.

In this case diode is acting as ideal. Since we can t see electrons it would be nice to have a model or an analogy of electric circuits to help us understand circuits better. Electrons are invisible so to understand the basics of how circuits work it helps to examine a mechanical system that behaves in many ways similar to the electric circuit. Ok lets see how semiconductors can be converted to water pipe system elements.

This physics video explains how the electric current flows using the analogy of water flow. An electric current is a flow of electrons through a conductor like a copper wire. Once the pipe is filled with water the pump can circulate the water without further use of the reservoir and if it were removed it would have no apparent effect on the water flow in the circuit. The pipes in one circuit have a larger diameter than the pipes in the other circuit.

The function of a ground wire in an electric circuit is in many ways analogous to the reservoir attached to the water circuit. An analogy for ohm s law. 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 back to the pump two such circuits are identical except for one difference. The electronic hydraulic analogy derisively referred to as the drain pipe theory by oliver lodge is the most widely used analogy for electron fluid in a metal conductor since electric current is invisible and the processes in play in electronics are often difficult to demonstrate the various electronic components are represented by hydraulic equivalents.

Figure 1 consider the following water circuit. In this analogy voltage is equivalent to water pressure current is equivalent to flow rate and resistance is equivalent to pipe size. 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. A water in pipes analogy electric current is the continuous flow of electrons through a conducting material like a copper wire.

The water analogy is a fitting introduction.