Electricity || Scientific FS
Electricity
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| Fig. Light bulb |
What is electricity?
Electricity is a form of energy, it is the flow of electrical power or charges from one atom to another. It is the secondary energy source that we get from the conversion of primary sources. It is a basic part of nature and the most widely used source of energy. Electricity generates heat, light, and power essential for our daily lives. We use electricity in almost everything we do - whether it's turning on the fan, working on the computer, playing a video game, blow-drying our hair, and so on.
Where does electricity come from?
Since electricity is a secondary source, it comes from or is made from primary sources like wind, water, the Sun, oil, nuclear power, coal, natural gas, and even animal manure. These sources can be renewable or non-renewable, but electricity itself is neither renewable nor non-renewable. Power generators use electromagnets inside the copper wire (a conductor) to produce electricity that is sent through wires to our homes, schools, and businesses.
What is an electric current?
An electrical charge in motion is known as an electric current. When an electric charge travels through a wire, we say that an electric current flows through the wire. The electric current flows only when there is something to make electricity flow such as a battery and when there is a complete path for the current to flow, which is called a circuit. The electric current is measured in amperes (amps).
How does an electric current form?
Electrons carry a negative charge while protons carry a positive charge. The protons are basically trapped inside the nucleus and can't escape the nucleus. The electrons are pulled by the protons, just the way the negative end of one magnet attracts the positive end of another. Sometimes electrons are knocked loose from an atom and run off to join another atom. it is these electrons flowing through a conductor that creates an electric current. The rate at which energy is drawn from a source that produces a flow of electricity in a circuit is expressed in volts.
Who discovered electricity?
The American scientist Benjamin Franklin believed that lightning is a form of electrical energy, and he proved it in 1752, with his famous kite experiment. One stormy night, Franklin fastened an iron spike to a silken kite that he was flying. He had tied an iron key at the end of the wet kite string. When the lightning flashed, the current flowed along the wet string to the key, giving Franklin an electrical shock. Through the next hundred years, many inventors and scientists tried to find a way to use electrical power to make light. In 1879, the American inventor, Thomas Edison was finally able to produce a reliable, long-lasting electric light-bulb in his laboratory.
What is an electrical circuit?
A circuit is a closed path or loop around which an electric circuit flows. A circuit is usually made by linking electrical components together with pieces of wire cable. For example, in a flashlight, there is a simple circuit with a switch, a lamp, and a battery linked together by a few short pieces of copper wire. When we turn on the switch, electrons carrying electrical energy move from one link to another in the circuit. If there is a break anywhere in the circuit, the flow of electricity.
How does electricity get to our homes?
Once the electricity is generated, it is sent through a transformer, which increases the voltage so that it can be sent long distances. The transformer then sends it over high-voltage transmission lines, which run all through the area. When the electricity nears its destination, it goes through a substation that changes it to low-voltage, so that it can be sent over the smaller power lines that reach homes and other premises. These wires further reduce the voltage, so that by the time the electricity reaches ore homes, it is safe to use.
Electricity travels a the speed of light - more than 186,000 miles per second.
Lightning that we see in the sky is a discharge of electricity in the atmosphere. Lightning bolts can travel at around 210000kmph while reaching a temperature of nearly 30000 C.
An electric eel can provide a shock of 600 volts. That's double anything you can safely plug into a household socket!
The electricity needed to light up the infamous Las Vegas strip could provide enough power for a town of 25000 residents.
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