Reg Edwards wrote:
The whole business can be mathematically modelled.

The point is that it cannot successfully be modeled
with the lumped circuit model where the current is
constant everywhere in the circuit. What would
Kirchhoff have thought about a coil with 0.1 amp
at the bottom and 0.7 amps at the top? It certainly
doesn't mean that 0.6 amps is flowing sideways. All
it means is that the relative phase of the forward
current and reflected current changes through the
coil and therefore the distributed network model
needs to be used.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp