The switch cannot store energy

Is energy easy to store?

All energy is difficult to store, not just eletrical. Indeed, electrical energy is quite easy to store once you consider the big picture. If you look at a tank of gasoline, you can see "wow, what a great storage for energy!".

What happens if a switch is not handled properly?

These events are called quenches, and they can do permanent damage if not handled properly. Even better, because the switch cannot throw infinitely fast, there will be finite lengths of time during which one contact is arbitrarily close to the other, so the voltage gradient arbitrarily high.

What is energy stored in a moving object?

The energy of a moving object. Runners, buses, comets. The energy stored when repelling charges have been moved closer together or when attracting charges have been pulled further apart. Thunderclouds, Van De Graaff generators. The energy stored when an object is stretched or squashed. Drawn catapults, compressed springs, inflated balloons.

What happens when a switch reaches a 1000 Volt voltage?

Well, almost. When the voltage across the opening switch reaches several 1000 volts, the air between the contacts of the switch gets ionized and becomes an electrical conductor. According to "Electrical breakdown - Gases" air begins to break down at 3000 V/mm. You will actually see and hear a spark in the switch.

Can energy be created or destroyed?

Energy can be described as being in different ‘stores’. It cannot be created or destroyed but it can be transferred, dissipated or stored in different ways. To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. There are many stores of energy close energyThe capacity for doing work., including: Listen to the full series on BBC Sounds.