Determination of the Mechanical Equivalent of Heat

12 Pages

Description: It is known that the passage of current in a conductor leads to the heating of the same. This phenomenon can be explained as caused by the friction between the electrons, subjected to the electric field, and the atoms constituting the conductor itself: there is therefore a decrease in the potential energy of the electrons, energy that is transformed into heat. This effect is commonly referred to as the "Joule effect" and can be explained by the principle of energy conservation: the thermal energy produced by the conductor is equivalent to the decrease in the potential energy of the electric charges in motion in the conductor under the action of the applied potential difference

Author: Pier Battista Finazzi