How Electricity Actually Works

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Special thanks to:
Bruce Sherwood, Ruth Chabay, Aaron Titus, and Steve Spicklemore
https://matterandinteractions.org
VPython simulation: http://tinyurl.com/SurfaceCharge

Thanks to Ansys for help with the simulations: https://www.ansys.com/products/electr...

Huge thanks to Richard Abbott from Caltech for all his modeling

Electrical Engineering YouTubers:
Electroboom:    / electroboom  
Alpha Phoenix:    / alphaphoenixchannel  
eevblog:    / eevblogdave  
Ben Watson:    / @pulsedpower  
Big Clive:    / bigclive  
Z Y:    / zongyiyang  
NYU Quantum Technology Lab
   / @nyuquantumtechnologylab  
Dr. Ben Miles
   / @drbenmiles  
Further analysis of the large circuit is available here: https://ve42.co/bigcircuit

Special thanks to Dr Geraint Lewis for bringing up this question in the first place and discussing it with us. Check out his and Dr Chris Ferrie’s new book here: https://ve42.co/Universe2021

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References:
A great video about the Poynting vector by the Science Asylum:    • Circuit Energy doesn't FLOW the way you TH...  

Sefton, I. M. (2002). Understanding electricity and circuits: What the text books don’t tell you. In Science Teachers’ Workshop. -- https://ve42.co/Sefton

Feynman, R. P., Leighton, R. B., & Sands, M. (1965). The feynman lectures on physics; vol. Ii, chapter 27. American Journal of Physics, 33(9), 750-752. -- https://ve42.co/Feynman27

Hunt, B. J. (2005). The Maxwellians. Cornell University Press.

Müller, R. (2012). A semiquantitative treatment of surface charges in DC circuits. American Journal of Physics, 80(9), 782-788. -- https://ve42.co/Muller2012

Galili, I., & Goihbarg, E. (2005). Energy transfer in electrical circuits: A qualitative account. American journal of physics, 73(2), 141-144. -- https://ve42.co/Galili2004

Deno, D. W. (1976). Transmission line fields. IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, 95(5), 1600-1611. -- https://ve42.co/Deno76

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Written by Derek Muller
Edited by Derek Muller
Filmed by Trenton Oliver and Petr Lebedev
Animation by Mike Radjabov and Ivy Tello
Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images
Music from Epidemic Sound and Jonny Hyman
Thumbnail by Ignat Berbeci
Produced by Derek Muller, Petr Lebedev, and Emily Zhang