Is the momentum conserved when the charge crosses a junction in an electric circuit? Why or why not?
When an electron approaches a junction, in addition to the uniform electric field E facing it normally, it keeps the drift velocity fixed as drift velocity depend on E. By the relation, drift velocity;
Step 2:
This results in the accumulation of charges on the surface of wires at the junction. These produce an additional electric field. These fields change the direction of momentum. Thus, the motion of a charge across the junction is not momentum conserving.
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