"William J. Beaty" wrote in message
om...
Paul Burridge wrote in message
. ..

On the other hand, the path for electrical energy is one way. The
electric companies send electromagnetic energy over enormous distances.
It's this energy which your appliances consume. Unfortunately for
our definition of "electricity," this energy is composed of electric and
magnetic fields, and it travels in the space surrounding the wires.
Do we really want to state that electricity is made of EM fields?
Do we really want to say that no electricity travels inside of wires,
but instead it travels in the space outside? If we say that electricity
is a form of energy, that's the same as saying that electricity is
just some travelling waves of electromagnetic field.

Yes please, guided energy!. It seems fathomable and sits easily amongst
waveguides, aerials, lightbulbs and triphasic conduit.
Electrons have a bit of weight. If you spin a metal disc at the power
station fast enough, then all the electrons in it should centrifuge out and
crowd towards the outer edge leaving no electrons in the middle. The
electrons aren't happy being herded onto the outer rim and really just want
to hang out and chew the cud. The potential to do work has thus been stored,
just like in a flywheel.
Paul switches on his TV and gives them a route back to the disc centre. The
stored disc energy is immediately translated in his TV to heat, light and
sound as the electrons all work through to become nonentities again.
The power station people don't like this as all their patiently herded
electrons have escaped, the disc has slowed a tad and they have to raise
more steam to maintain speed and herd more electrons. Hence will charge
Paul handsomely for his profligacy.
Dunno what happens in a spinning capacitor with diode connected plates
though :-)
regards
john