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How would you describe in simple language the heat dissipation cause by electron-phonon interference?

For a conductor of electricity at room temperature, almost all the "resistance" is due to interference between electron waves and phonons interfering due to incoherent thermal agitation of ions. in a simple language as possible, explain how this interference causes heat to dissipate in a simple wire resistor.

Thanks.

1 Answer

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  • Anonymous
    1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    The electrons are zipping through the wire and crash into the other particles, and the energy of their movement has to be conserved, so it gets turned into heat energy which bounces off the particles and out of the wire. I know this isn't entirely accurate description of electrical conduction, but it's pretty close, eh?

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