connect 2 different wire gauge to pos and neg speaker terminal

Hi Jim,

I always have great respect for Herman’s opinions and insights, and as usual I don’t disagree with any of his comments that you quoted. And as you’ve no doubt gathered over the years, like him I happen to be someone who generally tries to be as precise as possible with words and terminology, which he is certainly trying to be in the quoted passages.

However, it seems to me that there are circumstances which can make some latitude in the use of terminology appropriate. Including this one, given the extremely widespread use (or arguably misuse) of the term "current." As well as the fact that for nearly all practical purposes, other than perhaps providing fodder for Internet debates about wire directionality (which Herman has not expressed a strong opinion about either way), the more widely used concept of "current" works fine. So as I said earlier:

Almarg 9-1-2017
It is energy absorbed **from** the electromagnetic wave by the non-zero resistance of the conductor in the fuse, which as I said causes the Poynting vector to tilt slightly toward the conductor, that causes it to blow....

... Since the amount of energy that is absorbed from the electromagnetic wave by the conductor in the fuse and converted into heat (causing it to blow if excessive) is proportional to both the energy that is being conveyed by that wave and to "the current," it is reasonable (and of course far more practical) to analyze the situation in terms of amperes and ohms, rather than in terms of joules (a unit of energy) and Poynting Vectors.

And correspondingly, since in the case of electrical signals (or power) being conducted via wires the slow moving "current" and the very fast moving electromagnetic wave go hand-in-hand (as I’ve explained), IMO it would be meaningless to think of one but not the other as being the cause of the fuse blowing.

Now, regarding:

Geoffkait 9-2-2017
One thing I will sign up to is that if anything is traveling down the conductor it’s photons, not electrons. Free free to concur with comment, concur without comment or non concur.

As I’ve stated on previous occasions, I agree fully that the energy of an electrical signal (or power) being conducted via wires is conducted at near light speed in the form of an electromagnetic wave that is comprised of photons. We’ll have to agree to disagree, however, as to whether those photons propagate within or outside of the conductor, aside from the very small fraction of the photons corresponding to the very small amount of energy that is absorbed by the resistance of the conductor and converted to heat.

Regards,
-- Al

almarg wrote,

"now regarding,

Geoffkait 9-2-2017
One thing I will sign up to is that if anything is traveling down the conductor it’s photons, not electrons. Free free to concur with comment, concur without comment or non concur.

As I’ve stated on previous occasions, I agree fully that the energy of an electrical signal (or power) being conducted via wires is conducted at near light speed in the form of an electromagnetic wave that is comprised of photons. We’ll have to agree to disagree, however, as to whether those photons propagate within or outside of the conductor, aside from the very small fraction of the photons corresponding to the very small amount of energy that is absorbed by the resistance of the conductor and converted to heat.

>>>>Uh, I’ve already stated that it’s a tie. As indicated by the mathematical paper from the Journal of Physics on the dodgy subject of whether the energy of the signal is located outside or inside the conductor the energy is actually partly outside and partly inside. And the mathematics for that conclusion is provided in the first couple of paragraphs. Don’t tell me you didn’t read it. GASP

Al, Herman is right - electric current (electricity) is a flow of electric charge.  Current does not flow, current is - charge flows.  The same is true in the river - water flows and current is.  Unfortunately improper usage of "current flows" (instead of electricty flows) is so common, that I found myself using it.  Improper became common.

Geoffkait 9-2-2-2017
Uh, I’ve already stated that it’s a tie. As indicated by the mathematical paper from the Journal of Physics on the dodgy subject of whether the energy of the signal is located outside or inside the conductor the energy is actually partly outside and partly inside. And the mathematics for that conclusion is provided in the first couple of paragraphs. Don’t tell me you didn’t read it. GASP

Yes, I had read the paper you are referring to.  There is nothing in it that is inconsistent with what I have said.

If you'll notice, it deals with a hypothetical situation in which the wire ***is*** the load.  In other words, a single piece of "long" wire is connected directly across the terminals of a voltage source.  (The numerous references in the paper to the wire being "long" presumably imply that its resistance is high enough to limit the resulting, um, current, to an amount that can be provided by the voltage source, and that would not cause the wire to melt).

In that situation the Poynting Vector would point inward to the conductor, at all points along its length, as shown in Figure 1 of the paper.   The energy carrying photons would therefore enter the conductor, causing the conductor would heat up.  Note the references to energy flowing **into** "the cylinder," resulting in "Joule heating."  "The cylinder" referring to the geometry of the wire.  As the paper says:

The picture that emerges from these considerations is that the electromagnetic field around a current carrying wire is such that the energy dissipated in the wire is brought into it by the corresponding Poynting vector through each point of its surface.

That is all perfectly consistent with what I have said on the subject previously, assuming a more real world scenario involving low resistance wires conducting energy to a resistive load.  In that situation the electromagnetic wave, and the photons comprising it, travel outside the conductors, aside from (as I said in my previous post) "the very small fraction of the photons corresponding to the very small amount of energy that is absorbed by the resistance of the conductor and converted to heat."

Regards,
-- Al