directional cables?

Mr. Simple, here is a simple example.

Water does actually flow i.e. a molecule of water that enters one end of a hose flows down the length of the hose and out the other end. The water molecules in your house started out at the water treatment plant and eventually made it to your home after being pumped into pipes.

Compare that to a power plant that delivers electricity to your home. The power plant is not forcing electrons onto the power grid that then travel many miles to your house. First they step up the voltage to a very high level to increase efficiency and this high voltage electromagnetic wave travels down the wires toward your house. Somewhere close to your house is a transformer that steps the voltage down to a safer level to power your computer. The electrons that were at the power plant are not now flowing through the computer monitor you are reading this on. The energy that the power plant converted from mechanical to electrical with a generator does make it to your house, but it was not carried along by a stream of flowing electrons like the water that flows into your home.

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Herman

Mr. Simple...

No need for insults.

The electrons that were at the power plant are not now flowing through the computer monitor you are reading this on.

If you really want to get technical, that's not entirely true. Some of them may well be. But that gets a bit deep into quantum theory and would simply be pointless in this discussion.

The energy that the power plant converted from mechanical to electrical with a generator does make it to your house, but it was not carried along by a stream of flowing electrons like the water that flows into your home.

But it was all possible due to flowing electrons. How are the electrons flowing through the conductors of an AC power distribution system fundamentally any different than water flowing in a hose?

Tbromgard, Aren't you glad you asked?

I love when a post starts a life of its own

The moniker contains the word simply, it was not an insult any more than referring to Mr. Romgard is.

But it was all possible due to flowing electrons. How are the electrons flowing through the conductors of an AC power distribution system fundamentally any different than water flowing in a hose?

Because the electrons do not flow in a power distribution system. They do not flow along the wire like water flows in a hose. That is a simple analogy used to try and get people with very limited knowledge of the topic at hand to get some sort of visual picture so they might better understand, but it breaks down. Electrons do not flow along the wire like water molecules in a hose. It isn't happening. They do not flow, they do not flow, they do not flow.

Visualize this. AC voltage at 60 Hz reverses polarity every 8 milliseconds. In the electron flow = electric charge flow = water flow model the electrons would have to flow first in one direction and then in the other. They would flow close to .7 the speed of light down the wire for 8 mS and then all turn around and flow back the other way for 8 mS and so on. A given electron would travel about a thousand miles and back 60 times a second. (186,000 m/s * .7 * .008)

Ok, one more, in your model electrons are flowing back and forth, however, in real life the energy is flowing continuously in one direction, power plant to your house. How can the charge carriers (electrons) be traveling back and forth when the charges are all going in one direction?

Do me a favor and google "electric current" and read through several of the definitions. They all say it is the flow of charge, nowhere does it say it is the flow of electrons.

I'm done. If you still insist that it is the flow of electrons then that will help you understand some of the basic principles so that is a good thing.

As an aside, I ran across this interesting article while googling about.. It directly refutes Garch's assertion that DC can only be used over short distances.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-voltage_direct_current

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