Monday, February 03, 2014

Resistance. The physics of complex systems.

The definition below is from Wiki. It was about as simple a definition I could find. This one is a little more technical. Chapter 10 from an online text at Rutgers' University (click here).

Whatever is your flavor.  

Some of the power that is fed into a transmission line is lost because of its resistance. This effect is called ohmic or resistive loss (see ohmic heating). At high frequencies, another effect called dielectric loss becomes significant, adding to the losses caused by resistance. Dielectric loss is caused when the insulating material inside the transmission line absorbs energy from the alternating electric field and converts it to heat (see dielectric heating). The transmission line is modeled with a resistance (R) and inductance (L) in series with a capacitance (C) and conductance (G) in parallel. The resistance and conductance contribute to the loss in a transmission line.

My Father called them "High Tension Wires." Most everyone in the USA will recognize the monster towers that get blown down and twisted in tornadoes. These wires carry the capacity of the Power Plant regardless of the type of fuel. 

There was always a frustration with these wires from the standpoint of Greenhouse Gases and the transition to alternative energy. See, these lines cause loss of electric power as it travels to city, towns and homes. The reason for the loss is 'resistance.'

Resistance is a physics term for the characteristic found in all systems. 

Below is a cartoon of an experiment whereby a student views what "Air Resistance" does to the same objects on the Moon where there is no air and on Earth where there is.