I like watching science videos on YouTube and I have a very basic understanding of electronics. But I never seem to get the “negative voltage” thing.
Why is it used and how does it differ from normal voltage.
In: 5
If we’re talking on the physical level, it’s the same as positive voltage. It’s like the difference between moving 3 meters left and moving 3 meters right, they both results in 3 meters from starting point, just different location.
About why is it used… that’s a bit more… complicated. It’s a whole world of electronics black magic forkery.
One of the most popular use of negative voltage is N-channel JFET.
To very briefly explain N-channel JFET, think of a river. And then somewhere down the river there’s a giant water gate. Now the gate is controlled by say, a lever.
By default, the lever is right in the middle, and the gate is half open. Turning the lever up raises the gate, slowly limiting the water flow, while turning the lever down lowers the gate, allowing more water to flow.
Well, that’s N-channel JFET. It has 3 terminals, Source, Drain, and Gate. Electricity flows through a “channel” from Source to Drain, and Gate controls them. Applying positive (up) voltage raises the gate, while negative (down) voltage lowers the gate.
This is of course a very, very simplified explanation.
Why does this phenomenon occur? That’s a whole ‘nother rabbit hole of Semiconductor Forbidden Super-Secret Black Magic Forkery.
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