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physics 100 Posted by JimBlake [Email] (#141) [Profile/Gallery] (more from JimBlake) on Wed, 13 Nov 2002 10:56:06 In Reply to: One more question about alternator, Jeff Cunningham, Wed, 13 Nov 2002 10:03:58 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
OK: first, I know the true physics but I'm simplifying it so somebody's gonna flame me for that...
Electrons are negatively charged. The battery gets them from a chemical reaction on its plates. They flow out of the negative terminal, & then they populate the entire chassis of the car. The (+) wiring is, sort of, deficient in electrons, so the electrons want to flow towards the positive terminal. You want them to flow through a load & do some useful work along the way. If you place a screwdriver across the battery terminals you can observe the wild party they'll have when they discover how easy it is for them to flow directly across ;-)
The alternator is there to charge up the battery. It "pushes" electrons into the chassis, so the battery doesn't go empty. Lots of these electrons flow back into the negative side of the battery to charge it back up as you drive.
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