The displacement of charge in response to the force exerted by an electric field constitutes a reduction in the potential energy of the system. If the charge is part of a steady current, there must be...The displacement of charge in response to the force exerted by an electric field constitutes a reduction in the potential energy of the system. If the charge is part of a steady current, there must be an associated loss of energy that occurs at a steady rate. Since power is energy per unit time, the loss of energy associated with current is expressible as power dissipation. Here. we address two questions: (1) How much power is dissipated in this manner, and (2) What happens to the lost energy?
The displacement of charge in response to the force exerted by an electric field constitutes a reduction in the potential energy of the system. If the charge is part of a steady current, there must be...The displacement of charge in response to the force exerted by an electric field constitutes a reduction in the potential energy of the system. If the charge is part of a steady current, there must be an associated loss of energy that occurs at a steady rate. Since power is energy per unit time, the loss of energy associated with current is expressible as power dissipation. Here. we address two questions: (1) How much power is dissipated in this manner, and (2) What happens to the lost energy?
