The brain willis circle and ring electric power systems analogies

Abstract

Blood flowing to the brain keeps it alive, while electrons flowing to inhabited civilized places keep them active, leading to greater understanding of the world. What, however, of those many human beings still confined to distant hostile regions, unaware of the magic of electricity now over a century old. The word analogy is a synonym of likeness, resemblance, similitude, or affinity and involves two concepts being placed side by side, as in a comparison. The workings of nature and those of human societies are amenable to such analogous comparison?even though the evolution of the natural world obviously spans millions of years, while human societies are much younger, relatively puppies by comparison. This article considers two interesting examples from these two realms that show remarkable similarities (possibly a result of sheer chance), i.e., a circulatory brain anastomosis, the circle of Willis (CW), and modern power transmission-distribution systems in the ring arrangement. Remember that electric networks handle the flow of charges [say, in coulombs per second (C/s) or electric charge per unit time, which is current), whereas hydraulic systems deal with fluid flow [say, in liters per minutes (L/min) or volume/unit time or fluid mass/unit time]. Hence, these systems too are analogous, a well-known fact often mentioned by instructors of electrical engineering courses. Cerebral circulation refers to the movement of blood through the network of blood vessels supplying the brain, the primary governing organ that makes us human beings. The rate of cerebral blood flow in adults is typically 750 mm/min, representing about 15% of cardiac output. The brain is very vulnerable to compromises in its blood supply; consequently, its circulatory system has many safeguards, of which the CW is one. Brain circulatory failure results in cerebrovascular accidents, commonly known as strokes, a health situation of considerable concern.