Human-Radio Interaction Observations

Introduction

I never cease to be amazed at the interaction effects between humans and radios. When certain humans get close to radios, the static will increase or decrease. It is an amazing effect.

Recently I have observed such effects. Today I performed some specific experiments, and these are the observations I noticed.

Radio Device as Radio – not CD Player

The first thing I want to point out is that the radio device is operating as a radio. The device is set to an FM station, and music is being received and played. The radio device is not in CD mode, nor is it off.

Observing Static

What I am observing is the static. Normally a radio station will play clearly. But there are occasions where the radio produces static.

In general this can be produced by a variety of effects, such as weather and other broadcasting devices in the area.

What I am looking a specifically is the effect on static due to the human body. Specifically, as I come closer to the radio or further from the radio, as I place my hands in different positions, I am observing what will happen to the static.

Decreasing Static Observed in Earlier Observations

First thing I have noticed is that my human body can sometimes increase static, and sometimes decrease the static.

In today’s experiments, my body would always increase the static as I got closer to the radio. However, this is in contrast to my experience of a few months ago – where my body would decrease the static.

When I first noticed this phenomenon, and played around with it, this was the situation: The radio already had some static. I supposed this was due the weather or transmission or something similar. Yet every time I got close to the radio, the static would decrease, and the station would come in very clear.

I started playing around with it, standing in different positions. I discovered that 2 feet from the radio was where the effect began. When I was 2 feet from the radio, the static disappeared. When I left the area, the static would return to the level it had been before.

I noted this to a few friends, and asked them for the explanation, but none of them were able to explain it.

Human Body Can Either Decrease or Increase Static

Yet this point remains: today’s experience is the exact opposite of that experience.

 In the experience of a few months ago the radio began with constant static, and my presence close to the radio eliminated that static. Yet in today’s experience, the radio began with no static, but when I got close the radio the static increased.

Therefore the exact opposite situations can occur. It seems to depend on whether there is static to begin with or not.

Today’s Observations: Increasing Static Within 6 inches

In today’s observations I decided to see exactly where the static would increase as I got close to the radio.

I first noticed this a few days ago. For the past few days, I noticed that as I approached the radio the static would increase. As I backed away from the radio the static would decrease. Today I finally decided to test the specific distances and locations. This is what I noticed:

1. My hands created more static than my body. My body could create small static, but it was really when I moved my hands closer to the radio that the static really increased.

2. The static was greatest when I placed my hands between 6 inches and 2 inches from the radio. This also conforms with my general observations of the past few days: when I approached my radio with my hand (to turn it off, or change to CD mode) the static would increase.

3. The static is greatest when my hands are generally pointing to the tuning dial. The static is strongest there. In contrast, placing my hands near the outer edges of the radio, where the speakers are, has less static.

The distance from my hands to the radio is the same, only the location differs. The increase in static is always strongest near the tuning dial.

4. There is also a region much closer to the radio where the static disappears altogether. Putting my hands approximately ½ inch from the radio, the static will disappear altogether.

This effect includes when I have my hand directly in front of the tuner – where the induced static is strongest. Just by moving my hand a bit closer, that strong static disappears altogether. The distance for this effect is approximately ½ inch.

There are other observations, as described below, but these are the main ones. Also note that I performed these measurements several times, during several songs. The results were always the same, regardless of what song was playing. And of course this means that these effects were not temporary, but would occur again and again.

Specific Angle Produces Static

I also noticed that the angle I stand can produce some static. I noticed this later, but is appropriate to mention it now.

Standing several feet away from the radio, at a particular angle, the radio would also produce static. The angle was approximately 17 degrees from the dial side of radio. It was also approximately south (just in case that makes a difference).

This was in contrast to anywhere else I would stand at that same distance away. Same distance anywhere else, and there was no static. But stand at that one angle – and still being several feet from the radio – there was some static.

I tried standing on the other side of the radio, at approximately the same angle, but I could not get it to work.

My guess is that because the tuning dial is closer to the left side than the right side, the effect was able to be produced standing that angle on the left side of the radio, but not the same angle on the right.

Songs, Advertisements, Announcers

Each Produced Different Effects

Now we will get to an observation which surprised me, and yet was very repeatable. The effects on the static would be very different depending on what the radio station was playing at that time.

Advertisements and announcers would result in different static effects than the songs.

The general effect was the same, but the distances were different. Standing closer would still increase the static, yet there were fewer “clear zones”. There was much more static.

During the songs, I could place my hands near the outer edges of the radio and there would be no static. Yet during the advertisements, there was static no matter where I moved my hands.

Also, during the songs I could place my hands ½ inch from the dial, and there would be total clarity; all static was gone. Yet during the advertisements, there was no such clear zone.

Furthermore, moving my hands around the radio would produce different static effects than I had observed while performing the same movements during the songs.

I believe this has something to do with the type of frequency being used to broadcast. Perhaps it is a different type of modulation used, or a slightly different message frequency. Yet there is a difference.

Indeed, doesn’t it seem in some cases that to your ear the sound is different between songs and advertisements? It seemed that way to me as I was performing my detailed measurements.

I will have to ask the radio engineers to know the specific answer, but I believe the way the various messages are sent will then change the effect the human (myself) has on the static.

And just in case you think something changed in the weather or environment, consider this: as soon as the songs started playing again, the effects on the static were exactly – very precisely – what they were when I tested these earlier. I again repeated the tests for the next several songs. So it is absolutely the music versus advertising being broadcast, and not any other cause.

Concluding Thoughts

I will always be amazed regarding the effect that humans can have on radio reception. Humans can increase static, or decrease static, during the FM radio broadcasts. I am not sure how all this works, but I do know that humans can have direct effects on the static produced by the radio.

These are some of my detailed observations. I spent my time as a scientist – testing different locations, distances, and angles. I noted cases where static increased, and where it decreased. I also noted the different effects produced when the station was broadcasting advertisements and announcer’s voices rather than songs.

Again, I do not yet understand the physical processes of humans affecting radio static. However, I do believe these careful observations will help us to eventually understand the processes.

 

 

How Electrical Current Flows: The Three Main Processes

Introduction

I have been studying electrical current and the processes of energy transfer for a long time. From my research I have come to realize that electrical current does not always flow in using the same processes. That is, there is not just one process which we can call “electrical current.”

Electrical Current and Electrical Energy

Let us begin with the concept of what “electrical current” actually means. An electrical current does not necessarily mean the flow of electrons. The electron is merely the carrier, it is the transporter. What we are really interested in is the electrical energy.

Also note that this electrical energy exists in the form of “electrical energy strings”. I have discussed and illustrated these energy string in various published books and papers.

Thus, an “electric current” is fundamentally the movement of electrical energy from one place to another. And this means the movement of electrical energy strings from one place to another.

This electric energy is primarily carried by electrons, and is primarily transferred from one electron to another electron. However, the electrons are merely the carriers. This allows the process of electrical current to occur in several ways.

The Three Main Processes of Electrical Current

From my research I have seen three main processes for electrical current. That is, there are three main ways in which electrical energy is transferred from point A to point B.

1. The electrons physically move from one location to another. [This is the process in batteries].

2. Energy is transferred from electron to electron, like the passing of a baton from one runner to the next. The electrons themselves only move a short distance. [This is the process for Alternating Current in power lines].

3. Extra electrons attach to a molecule (creating an ion), the molecule then migrates, and the electron leaves the molecule at the new destination. In this way the electrical energy is transferred across distances. [This happens for ions in solution, and for some molecules in the body]. 

Simple Analogy Comparison Among the Methods

We can use a simple analogy to compare the three mechanisms of electrical current. Think of a man with a message, written on a rolled up document. In this analogy, the message is like our electrical energy, and the man is like an electron.

1. In the first mechanism, the man runs a full hundred miles with the message. He takes this message himself, all the way to the destination.

2. In the second mechanism, there are a series of 50 men, each just two miles apart. The first man runs with the message two miles, and passes it to the next. He runs two miles, and passes the message to the third. In this way each man only runs a short distance, and yet the message gets sent a hundred miles.

3. In the third mechanism, the man hops on a truck. Forget running, he gets a free ride. The truck carries him the hundred miles. At the final destination the man hops off the truck, with the message.

Those are the main differences between the three most common mechanisms of electrical current. Further details will be described below.

1. The electrons physically move from one location to another.

The first process is in which electrons physically move from one place to another. This is what is commonly thought of as the process of electrical current. However it is important to realize that this is not the only process.

Free Electrons
It is also important to realize that the electrons must be absolutely free. That is, these electrons must first be totally separated from their atoms. At this point, these electrons can move freely on their own.

If these electrons are in space or in the air, they will travel some distance, on their own internal energy, before encountering another object. However, these motions can be random, scattered, and not quite “useful”. Therefore, a wire is placed next to the free electrons. This wire allows the electrons to travel in one simple path, to the desired destination. Thus, our free electrons have traveled from one location to the next. This process is the first method of “electrical current”.

Gravity and Free Electrons

As an advanced understanding, know that gravity will also have an influence. Once the electrons are free, they are entities in space like any other object (such as planets). And just as a planet’s motion is influenced by the gravity of the sun, so the free electron will be influenced by the gravity of nearby atomic nuclei. Therefore, in addition to the free electron moving on its own, the gravitational pull of nearby atoms can also pull on the electron. This can be used to our advantage, particularly in batteries.

In a battery there are two metals. The metal with weaker gravitational pull will be the one that loses the electrons. It is easier to pull electrons away from their atoms. Then on the other side we have a metal with a stronger gravitational pull. Once an electron is free, it will be pulled gravitationally toward that second metal.

Thus a battery uses this first mechanism of electrical current as follows: We first pull off electrons from one metal, making them free electrons. These free electrons would travel in haphazard directions, so we use a wire to encourage their path in one direction. This direction of flow is further aided by the gravitational pull of the second metal, at the other end of the wire.

Thus, we can see the process of electrical current in the form of free electron movement, during the operation of our battery.

Additional Information in My Books

Note that more details (and illustrations) on the processes of Batteries can be found in my book “Introduction to Electrical Power”.

2. Energy is transferred from electron to electron

Overview

The second mechanism for electrical current is where the electrical energy is transferred from one electron to another. This is essentially the same process as a baton being passed from one runner to the next. Thus, the energy is transferred over long distances, though each electron only travels a very short distance. We see this process commonly for alternating current as used in power lines.

Energy Transfer From Electron to Electron

Let us begin with our analogies. In a relay race there are a series of runners, each placed at various distances. Yet there is only one baton. Each runner reaches the next person, hands off the baton, and the second runner proceeds. He passes the baton to the third runner, and so on. The passing of electrical energy can be done in exactly the same way.

We begin by putting a significant amount of electrical energy into the first electron. This starts the electron moving forward. When this electron reaches the next electron, all of that electrical energy is handed over to the second electron. At this point the second electron takes off. (You will also notice that the first electron slows down). Note that this is very much like our runners: the first runner stops running, while the second runner picks up speed. Energy transfer from electron to electron will occur in exactly the same way.

Long Distances

We can do this for long distances. Think of the messengers of ancient Greece: Using a series of several runners, these messengers could carry one paper document for hundreds of miles. In the same way, we can use a series of many electrons to carry our electrical energy over hundreds of miles. Indeed, that is what we do with the transmission lines which carry our electrical power.

Power Loss

There will of course be some power loss along the way. (See my books on Electrical Power for more details). Thus, eventually the electrons will not be able to transfer any more electrical energy. This can be remedied by sending much more electrical energy at the beginning of the process; with the same amount of power loss, there will still be enough electrical energy to keep the process going for many additional miles.

Electrons Do NOT Move Far

In this process it is important to note that the electrons do NOT move very far. In fact, they only move across a few atoms.

These electrons are not truly free in the way that the electrons in the battery system are free. Rather, these electrons are still attached to the atomic systems – loosely yes, but still attached. [More specifically, each electron leaves its atomic system only to be grabbed by the next atomic system. And yet this connection is always so minimal that these electrons are like a raft floating on the water].

You can also look at this from our analogy of the runners. In ancient Greece one runner traveled only a limited distance; he did not run the full hundred miles. The message traveled over hundreds of miles, but not any one individual runner. The same situation exists for our electrons and electrical current: the electrical energy was transferred for hundreds of miles, but each electron traveled only a few millimeters.

Alternating Current

A brief note on the “alternating” aspect of electrical current. Using the alternating current we pull all electrons back to their original positions. Then, we can begin the process again.

Use the analogy of the runners: after one runner has passed on his baton or his message to another runner, he is able to walk back to where he started. He can return to his regular position, able to receive another baton or another message, and do the running again.

In the same way, we pull back the electrons to their original position. Then, we can again add electrical energy to the first electron. This electrical energy will be passed along to the second electron, and so on, just as before.

Note that meanwhile…as this is going on…the original electrical energy we sent is continuing to be passed on from electron to electron, hundreds of miles away.

The Brilliance of AC Current and Transfer of Electrical Energy

Thus, using this mechanism, we can continue to send pulses of electrical energy down the power line. We can do this by transferring the energy from electron to electron, with very little movement from the electrons themselves. These electrons can be put back in position, while the original energy is continuing to be handed down through the wire.

This is the brilliant mechanism which Tesla came up with, and has allowed us to send electrical energy (known as electrical current) without ever depleting our source of electrons.

Additional Information in My Books

Note that more details (and illustrations) on the processes of Alternating Current, and on the processes of Batteries can be found in my book “Introduction to Electrical Power”. I also have a fuller list of comparisons between the two processes of electrical current. A further resource is my book on Transmission of Electrical Power. 

3. Extra electrons attach to a molecule, and the molecule migrates

The third mechanism for electrical current is a bit different from the previous two. This mechanism involves extra electrons hitching a ride on molecules. Thus we have two carriers of electrical energy simultaneously: the electron carries the electrical energy, and yet the electron is also being carried by the molecule. This is like the man who hops on the back of a truck, enjoys the free ride, then hops of again at the destination.

When an extra electron attached to a molecule that molecule becomes a “negative ion”. In terms of our electrical energy this means: the electrical energy contained in our electron is now also part of the molecular system. (Still contained in the electron, but the electron has joined the molecule, and so everything travels together).

If this molecule is in solution, then the molecule will be able to migrate. It is something like a ship traveling across the sea. And as the “ship” travels, so do all “passengers” – which in this case means all electrons and all electrical energy in those electrons.

When this molecule reaches its destination, then the extra electron can hop off the molecule. Of course the electrical energy contained in that electron will go along with it. Thus, in this way, the electrical energy has traveled from one location to another. This can be considered to be a type of “electrical current”.

This type of mechanism is observed mostly for ionized molecules in solution. We commonly see this in the solution parts of batteries. We also see this within the cells of biological organisms.

Summary-Review

An electrical current is not simply the movement of free electrons. An “electric current” is fundamentally the movement of electrical energy from one place to another. This means the movement of electrical energy strings from one place to another.

This electric energy (as electrical energy strings) is primarily carried by electrons. However, the electrons are merely the carriers, what really makes the electrical current is the traveling of electrical energy. Therefore this allows the process of electrical current to occur in several ways. From my research I have seen three main processes for electrical current:

1. Free electrons physically move from one location to another. [This is the process in batteries].

2. Energy is transferred from electron to electron, like the passing of a baton from one runner to the next. The electrons themselves only move a short distance. [This is the process for Alternating Current in power lines].

3. Extra electrons attach to a molecule (creating an ion), the molecule then migrates, and the electron leaves the molecule at the new destination. In this way the electrical energy is transferred across distances. [This happens for ions in solution, and for some molecules in the body].

Further Reading

For additional explanation and illustrations read the following books I have written:

A. Introduction to Electrical Power, by Mark Fennell

B. Transmission of Electrical Power, by Mark Fennell

C. Fundamental Properties of Electromagnetic Energy, by Mark Fennell

D. New Concepts of Energy Strings, by Mark Fennell (paper, soon to be published)

E. Photons in Motion, by Mark Fennell (available soon)