Circuit Idea/Deborah Chung's "Apparent Negative Resistance"

Circuit Idea/Deborah Chung's "Apparent Negative Resistance"

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Revealing the Truth about Deborah Chung's "Apparent Negative Resistance"

Circuit idea: There is not any connection between this arrangement and the negative resistance phenomenon.

Presenting the carbon fiber network as a bridge circuit

If we scrutinize this exotic carbon fiber arrangement, we will reralize it acts as some kind of bridge circuit formed by two kinds of resistances - steady carbon fiber resistances R and varying contact resistances Rc. In some way (for now unrecognized), it turned out they were connected in the opposite bridge legs. By the way, a long time ago I was impressed by this remarkable feature of the bridge circuit - to reverse the output voltage. It can do that because the output voltage is a differential quantity. It is "flying"; it is the difference between the two grounded voltages - VR and VRc. Depending on the proportion between R and Rc, this difference may be zero (R = Rc), positive (R > Rc) or negative (R < Rc). And, if we assume the current IIN is the input quantity and the voltage VOUT is the output quantity, we may think of this device as a zero, a positive or... a "negative" transresistance converter:) But this is not a negative resistance; this is not even a resistance; it is the more abstract transresistance.
The idea of Chung's "negative resistance".

Fig. 1a. Obtaining a zero "resistance",... Fig. 1b. ...a positive "resistance"... Fig. 1c. ...and a negative "resistance":)

Circuit Idea/Deborah Chung's "Apparent Negative Resistance"

Discovering the carbon fiber network

No pressure is applied Well, let's look at Fig. 2 and begin thinking... The two laminae are connected to each other by great number of contact resistances Rc; you may think of the central cross area as a kind of cube. The current flows from the top lamina that is positive to the bottom lamina that is negative. So, the upper point B is positive and the lower point D is negative; the output voltage VOUT has a positive polarity as it is shown on the picture. The "resistance" is positive: R = VOUT/IIN > 0.

Fig. 2a. A voltage drop appears across the contact resistance (a simplified picture).

Fig. 2b. A voltage drop appears across the contact resistance when no pressure is applied (a detailed picture).

Circuit Idea/Deborah Chung's "Apparent Negative Resistance" A big pressure is applied Now, let's look at Fig. 3 and continue thinking together. Now, a big pressure is applied; so, the two laminae are connected to each other by great number of zero contact resistances. In this case, the central cross area is a flat grid. The current goes into the left side of the grid, turns to the bottom and goes out from the bottom side of the grid. In this situation, the point D stays closer to the positive terminal of the input voltage source and the point B stays closer to the negative terminal. So, the point D is more positive than the point D and the output voltage VOUT has a negative polarity as shown on the right picture. As a result, like Professor Chung, we might draw a wrong conclusion that the "resistance" is "negative": R = -VOUT/IIN < 0 and to begin making a stir. A moderate pressure is applied Finally, we may suppose there is some middle pressure between the extreme limits when the output voltage VOUT is zero. The "resistance" is zero as well: R = VOUT/IIN = 0.
Fig. 3b. A voltage drop appears across the fiber resistance when a big pressure is applied (a detailed picture).

Fig. 3a. A voltage drop appears across the fiber resistance (simplified).

Conclusions
Then, what has Professor Deborah

Chung actually observed? What has she done? Let's try to answer... It is clear she has made some kind of exotic bridge circuit depending on applied pressure. Indeed, this carbon fiber arrangement can serve as an odd voltage-to-voltage converter, a current-to-voltage converter or as a (poor) pressure-to-voltage converter (a pressure sensor). But IMO, there are no any benefits of using it; contrary, there are many losses... Only see in Google [1] how many people are involved in this useless discussion and how much efforts, time and money are wasted... It is a pity to see how people relying more on "reputable" sources than on their own human common sense are misleaded! There is not any connection between this experiment and the negative resistance phenomenon. There is not any apparent, absolute, differential or even dynamic resistance in this arrangement; there is only ordinary, bare, "19th century" ohmic resistance. Chung's carbon fiber network behaves actually as an odd bridge circuit depending on the applied pressure (like the ordinary tensometric bridge circuit).

Circuit Idea/Deborah Chung's "Apparent Negative Resistance" It seems Chung's experiment is the greatest misconception in the area of the negative resistance phenomena.

References
[1] http:/ / www. google. com/ search?sourceid=navclient& ie=UTF-8& rlz=1T4GGLL_enBG301BG302& q=Chung+ negative+ resistance

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Article Sources and Contributors

Article Sources and Contributors

Circuit Idea/ Deborah Chung's "Apparent Negative Resistance" Source: http://en.wikibooks.org/w/index.php?oldid=1533713 Contributors: Adrignola, Circuit-fantasist

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