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Old January 31st 11, 08:20 PM posted to rec.radio.amateur.antenna
Antonio Vernucci Antonio Vernucci is offline
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First recorded activity by RadioBanter: Jun 2006
Posts: 395
Default A small riddle, just for fun

Yesterday, while repairing my antenna, something came to my mind I had never
focused on before.

Let us consider a bipole, that is a "black box" having TWO terminals and
including plain passive elements only (like capacitors, inductors, ... , no
diodes or other special devices), arranged the way you prefer, it does not
matter.

In my mind it was quite clear that, when fitting such a bipole into a circuit,
the sense makes no difference, i.e. one can reverse the two terminals with no
consequence. As a matter of fact, the bipole has an equivalent impedance that
remains the same independently of the way it is put in the circuit.

Yesterday a case occurred to me in which this is not actually true.

Instead of directly telling which it is, just for fun I wonder whether anyone
can figure out a case in which a bipole may not be reversed without
consequences. Not difficult, but it anyway requires some thinking.

Although probably unnecessary, let me recall that a filter is typically a
THREE-terminal device (IN, OUT, GROUND), not a TWO-terminal one.

73

Tony I0JX
Rome, Italy