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Help with physics absolutly don't know nothing. (1 Viewer)

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Well i'm doing chemistry, i don't do physics and we have started galvanic cells. I have a couple of questions.

What is current in relation to galvanic cells?
What is voltage in relation to galvanic cells?
If you increase resistance (whatever that means) does it increase current and voltage?
Are current and voltage proportional, so like if you increase current you increase voltage.

Any help would be great, especially if you can link the above questions to CHEMISTRY, SINCE IT'S PHYSICS IN CHEMISTRY I DON'T GET.
 

Peeik

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It has been a while since I have studied galvanic cells but I can try explain it to you in physics terms.

1. Current is simply the flow of charged particles which in most cases are electrons. When electrons move in a circuit, current is produced.
2. Now that you understand that current is produced when electrons move in a circuit, you might ask "What makes the electrons want to move in a circuit?". The answer to that question is voltage. Without going to too much detail about voltage, it is simply the driving force making electrons move around the circuit. In most cases, a battery is the source of a voltage in a circuit. Without a battery, there is no voltage and the electrons will not want to move around the circuit.
3. Resistance (as the word suggests) is a component that is placed into the circuit which restricts the flow of electrons in the circuit. That is, the greater the resistance in a circuit the less current you will get.
4. There is a direct relationship between voltage (v), current(I) and resistance (R). The relationship is given by Ohms Law which is a formula that states V=IR. If you assume that resistance is contant and does change, then Voltage is directly proportional to current. Therefore, the greater the voltage, the greater the current. This should make intuitive sense because if you increase the pushing power on the electrons, then the electrons themselves would want to move faster around the circuit.

Hope this helps a bit. Unfortunately I couldnt relate to the galvanic cell explicitly since I havent studied that in years :S
 

DamTameNaken

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Current is the rate at which electrons transfer from place to place.
Voltage is the potential for energy i.e. High voltage = a lot of electrons being transferred.

Voltage = Current x Resistance. OR Voltage/Resistance = current. Therefore increasing resistance would decrease current.

Current and Voltage are proportional i.e. Voltage = Current x Resistance
 
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