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RE: Household NEUTRAL is not really a return path

Original poster: "Mark Dunn" <mdunn@xxxxxxxxxxxx>


Steve and All:

Doesn't the current flow through both paths?  Each path has a different
impedence thus some portion of the current flows through each path.

I think we typically view the resistance/impedence of a "non-conductor"
as infinite and thus assume no current flows through it.  At the
voltages and frequencies we operate, everything is a conductor and the
relative resistance/impedence between those conductors determines the
amount of current that flows through each.  Right?

Mark



-----Original Message-----
From: Tesla list [mailto:tesla@xxxxxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, September 16, 2005 1:32 PM
To: tesla@xxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: Household NEUTRAL is not really a return path


Original poster: Steve Conner <steve@xxxxxxxxxxxx>

 > current does NOT flow
 > through the shortest
 > path, or the past of least
 > resistance.  It flows through the path of least
 > impedance.

Granted, but I don't understand how a piece of
sheetrock can have lower impedance than 6ft of copper
pipe. Unless the sheetrock wall was picking up RF
(maybe it was the foil backed stuff) and arcing to the
radiator that was grounded.

Steve