A System of Electrotherapeutics, Vol. 6 (Classic Reprint)

Excerpt from A System of Electrotherapeutics, Vol. 6<br><br>1. Loss of Electromotive Force. - The phenomena connected with the passage of electric currents through conductors have been treated fully in Volume 1 of this Course. Among the phenomena considered were those relating to chemical decomposition, electromagnetism, induction, and, finally, mechanical effects, as in electric motors.<br><br>In every instance, when work was performed in some form or other, the current lost part of its energy by losing part of its electromotive force. In other instances, when no visible work was performed, a certain part of its energy was lost in overcoming the resistance of the electric circuit. An instance of this kind is found in voltaic batteries, where the internal resistance often equals that of the whole external circuit. In this connection it will be remembered that the rule was given in Art.134, Direct Currents, that "a maximum current is sent through a given external resistance, when the resistance of the battery is equal to the external resistance." It seems that here, and in other similar combinations, a great waste of energy must be going on, and the question naturally suggests itself: What becomes of this electric energy, which apparently disappears without leaving any visible traces behind<br><br>2. Transformation of Energy. - As energy cannot be lost, it must, if disappearing in one form, reappear in some other form, and though the new form in which it reappears is not perhaps at once traceable, it is, nevertheless, present and will be found on closer investigation.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.