electricity essay definition

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Essay On Electricity

Electricity is a form of energy, as we have other forms of energy like heat and light. We feel the existence of electricity when a refrigerator is on, an electric heater is on, or when an electric bulb is switched on. It is fascinating that electrical appliances like ceiling fans, mobile phones, laptops, etc., surround us. Also, the natural phenomenon of lightning striking the ground involves electricity. Here are a few sample essays on ‘Electricity’.

100 Words Essay On Electricity

Electricity is a form of energy that is used to power lights, appliances, and many other things in our homes and buildings. It is created by generators, which use fuel to create a flow of electric charges. These charges are then sent through wires to our homes, where they power everything from our lights to our televisions.

Electricity is a powerful force that can be both helpful and dangerous. It is important to always be careful around electricity and to follow safety rules when using it.

Overall, electricity is an essential part of modern life and is used to power many of the things that make our lives easier and more convenient. Understanding how electricity works and how to use it safely is an important part of being a responsible student and citizen.

200 Words Essay On Electricity

Electricity is a form of energy that is all around us and plays a vital role in our daily lives. It is the force that powers everything from the lights in our homes to the computers we use at school.

Science Behind It | Electricity is a flow of tiny particles called electrons. These electrons flow through wires and create a current, which is what powers our lights and appliances. The electricity that we use in our homes is created at power plants, where generators use fuel like coal, natural gas, or wind to create the flow of electrons. It is sent through a network of transmission and distribution lines, which are like a big spider web, to reach different parts of the country. From there, it is sent to homes and buildings through smaller wires called service lines.

It is important to remember that electricity can be both helpful and dangerous. It is important to follow safety rules when using electricity. For example, it is important to never touch electrical wires with wet hands or to plug too many things into one outlet. Always be sure to ask an adult for help if you have any questions or concerns about electricity.

500 Words Essay On Electricity

Electricity is a powerful force that has a significant impact on our daily lives. It is the energy that powers everything from the lights in our homes to the computers we use at school. It enables us to have access to modern appliances, technology and communication.

How Electricity Affects Our Lives

One of the most obvious ways that electricity affects our lives is by providing the power for our lights, appliances, and other devices. Without electricity, we would have to rely on things like candles and manual labor to get things done. This would make our lives much more difficult and less convenient.

Electricity also plays a vital role in communication, it allows us to stay connected with friends and family through phone calls, text messages, and social media. It also allows us to access information and entertainment through the internet, television, and radio.

Furthermore, electricity also contributes to the development of industries, it is used to power machines and equipment that are essential for manufacturing and production, without electricity, it would be difficult to produce goods and services.

However, it is also important to consider the negative effects of electricity on the environment. The production of electricity often involves burning fossil fuels which release pollutants into the air and contribute to global warming. Moreover, the overuse of electricity can lead to power shortages and blackouts.

Overall, electricity has a profound effect on our lives, it makes our lives easier and more convenient, it contributes to communication and industry development, but it also has negative effects on the environment. It is important to be aware of how we use electricity and to make a conscious effort to use it responsibly and efficiently.

Discovery Of Electricity

The discovery of electricity is a story that spans centuries, with many important figures contributing to our understanding of this powerful force.

It all began in ancient times, with the Greeks and Romans experimenting with static electricity by rubbing different materials together. They observed that certain materials, such as amber, would become charged and attract nearby objects.

In the 1600s, English scientist William Gilbert conducted extensive research on electricity and magnetism, and coined the term "electricus," meaning "like amber." He also discovered that many materials, not just amber, could become charged.

In the 1700s, several scientists made significant advancements in the understanding of electricity. Benjamin Franklin conducted his famous kite experiment, proving that lightning was a form of electricity. He also invented the lightning rod, which protected buildings from lightning strikes.

In the 1800s, scientists such as Alessandro Volta and Michael Faraday made even more strides in our understanding of electricity. Volta created the first battery, while Faraday discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction, which is the basis for the operation of generators and motors.

As the years went on, scientists continued to make advancements in our understanding of electricity. The invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison in 1879 changed the world forever, making electric light a practical reality for the first time.

Throughout the years, many people have contributed to our understanding of electricity, and it is a story of curiosity, experimentation and perseverance. Today we are able to enjoy the convenience and comfort that electricity has brought to our lives, but it all started with a spark of curiosity and a desire to understand the world around us.

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Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Example

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Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Introduction

Electricity is the most important invention: essay main body, electricity is the most important invention: essay conclusion, reference list.

The contemporary world and its society are known for the highly developed technologies that make people’s lives easier and simpler. The number of useful and sophisticated inventions grows nearly every day. The scientists work on new ways of studying the world we live in, exploring its resources and using them to improve our quality of life.

This process began centuries ago, yet its most active stage was launched in the middle of the nineteenth century, and one of the major moving forces of the rapid technological development was the reception and application of electricity.

The period of time when the scientists of Europe first started using electricity to create powerful engines and high functioning mechanisms gave a push to such processes as industrialization, urbanization, and globalization; it made a massive impact on the world’s society, its way of living, and habits, it produced massive cultural, political and economic changes.

There is a common misconception that electricity actually may be an invention, but it is one of the natural forms of energy, it has always existed on our planet so it could not possibly be “invented”. The most influential and powerful invention was the discovery of electricity and of ways of using it for various technologies.

Historically, some of the first encounters humans made with electricity date back to Ancient Greece, when people first discovered the rubbing fur and amber together created the attraction between the two surfaces and also lighter objects, which occurred due to static electricity (Atkinson, 2014). This cannot be called a discovery because the reasons or practical use of this phenomenon were not understood.

The more recent interest towards electricity started to form in the 1600s when William Gilbert, inspired by the writings of ancient Greeks created his own work about magnetism, he also was the one who introduced the term “electrical” (Bellis, 2014). After that, such scientists as Descartes, Fermat, Grimaldi, Hooke, Von Guericke and Gray developed the knowledge about electricity.

In 1747 came Franklin’s theory of positive and negative electric charges (History of Electricity from its Beginning, 2012). This theory was followed by Faraday’s discovery of electric induction and the work of electric currents. Finally, the geniuses of Edison and Tesla brought light to all the average households and made the first hydroelectric engines and plants possible (The History of Electricity, 2014).

Ever since electricity and its qualities and possibilities were discovered the speed of technological progress in our world has been growing. The discovery of electricity became the necessary basis for the occurrence of multiple other sciences and inventions that are constantly used and are of crucial meaning in the contemporary world.

The modern society, its life and well being depends on electricity wholly. We cannot imagine our lives without cell phones, computers, the internet, coffee makers, toasters, washing machines, and microwave ovens, and all of these devices work due to electricity, but we often forget that more crucial needs of ours are fulfilled with the help of this discovery (Electricity, women and the home, n. d.).

For example, light in our cities, streets, and homes is electricity, water in our taps is running because of electrical pumps. The impact of electricity on the society of the world and its lifestyle is hard to overestimate. Today it is responsible for our survival.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century at least eighty percent of the population of our planet lived in rural areas and worked in agriculture, the appearance of electric engines created many workplaces in the cities and enforced the process of urbanization. In the modern world, the majority of people live in or close to urban areas.

This is how electricity changed our social geography. Besides, electricity has made an impact on the taste of our food, our education, our medicine and communication (Valdes, 2012). Electricity in hospitals helps to save millions of lives every day. The internet and cell phones have speeded up the world’s communication massively, changed the way people interact with each other. Electricity gave us new modes of transportation too – trams, trains, and trolleybuses function due to electric power.

Basically, the major electric generators are responsible for human life support. Besides, such huge inventions as nuclear power and space exploration are possible because of the discovery of electric power. Electricity and the knowledge of its current, its qualities and effects, its structure and capacities are the discoveries that influenced our world, changed it, shaped it into what we know today. Every human-made object we can touch or see today was made with the help of electricity one way or another.

Our culture and art also depend on electricity a lot, for example, some of the most ancient paintings and manuscripts are preserved with the help of refrigerators working from electricity. The modern mass media such as radio and television exist because of electricity. The music is written, played and delivered to the audiences today with the help of electricity.

Finally, neurosurgery works through the understanding of electric impulses human brain sends to the body making it function. Electricity constantly penetrates humans, this world, and every aspect of life; this is why its discovery can be considered the most influential and important invention.

Atkinson, N. (2014). Who Discovered Electricity? Web.

Bellis, M. (2014). History of Electricity . Web.

Electricity, women and the home. (n. d.). Science Museum . Web.

History of Electricity from its Beginning . (2012). Scholz Electrical. Web.

The History of Electricity , (2014). Code-Electrical . Web.

Valdes, C. (2012). Electricity: How it Changed the World Forever . Web.

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IvyPanda. (2019, November 17). Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Example. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/

"Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Example." IvyPanda , 17 Nov. 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Example'. 17 November.

IvyPanda . 2019. "Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Example." November 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

1. IvyPanda . "Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Example." November 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

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IvyPanda . "Electricity Is the Most Important Invention: Essay Example." November 17, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/electricity-as-the-best-invention/.

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What is Electricity?

Getting Started

Electricity is all around us--powering technology like our cell phones, computers, lights, soldering irons, and air conditioners. It's tough to escape it in our modern world. Even when you try to escape electricity, it's still at work throughout nature, from the lightning in a thunderstorm to the synapses inside our body. But what exactly is electricity? This is a very complicated question, and as you dig deeper and ask more questions, there really is not a definitive answer, only abstract representations of how electricity interacts with our surroundings.

Electricity is a natural phenomenon that occurs throughout nature and takes many different forms. In this tutorial we'll focus on current electricity: the stuff that powers our electronic gadgets. Our goal is to understand how electricity flows from a power source through wires, lighting up LEDs, spinning motors, and powering our communication devices.

Electricity is briefly defined as the flow of electric charge, but there's so much behind that simple statement. Where do the charges come from? How do we move them? Where do they move to? How does an electric charge cause mechanical motion or make things light up? So many questions! To begin to explain what electricity is we need to zoom way in, beyond the matter and molecules, to the atoms that make up everything we interact with in life.

This tutorial builds on some basic understanding of physics, force , energy , atoms , and [fields](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_(physics)) in particular. We'll gloss over the basics of each of those physics concepts, but it may help to consult other sources as well.

Going Atomic

To understand the fundamentals of electricity, we need to begin by focusing in on atoms, one of the basic building blocks of life and matter. Atoms exist in over a hundred different forms as chemical elements like hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and copper. Atoms of many types can combine to make molecules, which build the matter we can physically see and touch.

Atoms are tiny , stretching at a max to about 300 picometers long (that's 3x10 -10 or 0.0000000003 meters). A copper penny (if it actually were made of 100% copper) would have 3.2x10 22 atoms (32,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms) of copper inside it.

Even the atom isn't small enough to explain the workings of electricity. We need to dive down one more level and look in on the building blocks of atoms: protons, neutrons, and electrons.

Building Blocks of Atoms

An atom is built with a combination of three distinct particles: electrons, protons, and neutrons. Each atom has a center nucleus, where the protons and neutrons are densely packed together. Surrounding the nucleus are a group of orbiting electrons.

A very simple atom model. It's not to scale but helpful for understanding how an atom is built. A core nucleus of protons and neutrons is surrounded by orbiting electrons.

Every atom must have at least one proton in it. The number of protons in an atom is important, because it defines what chemical element the atom represents. For example, an atom with just one proton is hydrogen, an atom with 29 protons is copper, and an atom with 94 protons is plutonium. This count of protons is called the atom's atomic number .

The proton's nucleus-partner, neutrons, serve an important purpose; they keep the protons in the nucleus and determine the isotope of an atom. They're not critical to our understanding of electricity, so let's not worry about them for this tutorial.

Electrons are critical to the workings of electricity (notice a common theme in their names?) In its most stable, balanced state, an atom will have the same number of electrons as protons. As in the Bohr atom model below, a nucleus with 29 protons (making it a copper atom) is surrounded by an equal number of electrons.

As our understanding of atoms has evolved, so too has our method for modeling them. The Bohr model is a very useful atom model as we explore electricity.

The atom's electrons aren't all forever bound to the atom. The electrons on the outer orbit of the atom are called valence electrons. With enough outside force, a valence electron can escape orbit of the atom and become free. Free electrons allow us to move charge, which is what electricity is all about. Speaking of charge...

Flowing Charges

As we mentioned at the beginning of this tutorial, electricity is defined as the flow of electric charge. Charge is a property of matter--just like mass, volume, or density. It is measurable. Just as you can quantify how much mass something has, you can measure how much charge it has. The key concept with charge is that it can come in two types: positive (+) or negative (-) .

In order to move charge we need charge carriers , and that's where our knowledge of atomic particles--specifically electrons and protons--comes in handy. Electrons always carry a negative charge, while protons are always positively charged. Neutrons (true to their name) are neutral, they have no charge. Both electrons and protons carry the same amount of charge, just a different type.

A lithium atom (3 protons) model with the charges labeled.

The charge of electrons and protons is important, because it provides us the means to exert a force on them. Electrostatic force!

Electrostatic Force

Electrostatic force (also called Coulomb's law ) is a force that operates between charges. It states that charges of the same type repel each other, while charges of opposite types are attracted together. Opposites attract, and likes repel .

The amount of force acting on two charges depends on how far they are from each other. The closer two charges get, the greater the force (either pushing together, or pulling away) becomes.

Thanks to electrostatic force, electrons will push away other electrons and be attracted to protons. This force is part of the "glue" that holds atoms together, but it's also the tool we need to make electrons (and charges) flow!

Making Charges Flow

We now have all the tools to make charges flow. Electrons in atoms can act as our charge carrier , because every electron carries a negative charge. If we can free an electron from an atom and force it to move, we can create electricity.

Consider the atomic model of a copper atom, one of the preferred elemental sources for charge flow. In its balanced state, copper has 29 protons in its nucleus and an equal number of electrons orbiting around it. Electrons orbit at varying distances from the nucleus of the atom. Electrons closer to the nucleus feel a much stronger attraction to the center than those in distant orbits. The outermost electrons of an atom are called the valence electrons , these require the least amount of force to be freed from an atom.

This is a copper atom diagram: 29 protons in the nucleus, surrounded by bands of circling electrons. Electrons closer to the nucleus are hard to remove while the valence (outer ring) electron requires relatively little energy to be ejected from the atom.

Using enough electrostatic force on the valence electron--either pushing it with another negative charge or attracting it with a positive charge--we can eject the electron from orbit around the atom creating a free electron.

Now consider a copper wire: matter filled with countless copper atoms. As our free electron is floating in a space between atoms, it's pulled and prodded by surrounding charges in that space. In this chaos the free electron eventually finds a new atom to latch on to; in doing so, the negative charge of that electron ejects another valence electron from the atom. Now a new electron is drifting through free space looking to do the same thing. This chain effect can continue on and on to create a flow of electrons called electric current .

A very simplified model of charges flowing through atoms to make current.

Conductivity

Some elemental types of atoms are better than others at releasing their electrons. To get the best possible electron flow we want to use atoms which don't hold very tightly to their valence electrons. An element's conductivity measures how tightly bound an electron is to an atom.

Elements with high conductivity, which have very mobile electrons, are called conductors . These are the types of materials we want to use to make wires and other components which aid in electron flow. Metals like copper, silver, and gold are usually our top choices for good conductors.

Elements with low conductivity are called insulators . Insulators serve a very important purpose: they prevent the flow of electrons. Popular insulators include glass, rubber, plastic, and air.

Static or Current Electricity

Before we get much further, let's discuss the two forms electricity can take: static or current. In working with electronics, current electricity will be much more common, but static electricity is important to understand as well.

Static Electricity

Static electricity exists when there is a build-up of opposite charges on objects separated by an insulator. Static (as in "at rest") electricity exists until the two groups of opposite charges can find a path between each other to balance the system out.

When the charges do find a means of equalizing, a static discharge occurs. The attraction of the charges becomes so great that they can flow through even the best of insulators (air, glass, plastic, rubber, etc.). Static discharges can be harmful depending on what medium the charges travel through and to what surfaces the charges are transferring. Charges equalizing through an air gap can result in a visible shock as the traveling electrons collide with electrons in the air, which become excited and release energy in the form of light.

Spark gap igniters are used to create a controlled static discharge. Opposite charges build up on each of the conductors until their attraction is so great charges can flow through the air.

One of the most dramatic examples of static discharge is lightning . When a cloud system gathers enough charge relative to either another group of clouds or the earth's ground, the charges will try to equalize. As the cloud discharges, massive quantities of positive (or sometimes negative) charges run through the air from ground to cloud causing the visible effect we're all familiar with.

Static electricity also familiarly exists when we rub balloons on our head to make our hair stand up, or when we shuffle on the floor with fuzzy slippers and shock the family cat (accidentally, of course). In each case, friction from rubbing different types of materials transfers electrons. The object losing electrons becomes positively charged, while the object gaining electrons becomes negatively charged. The two objects become attracted to each other until they can find a way to equalize.

Working with electronics, we generally don't have to deal with static electricity. When we do, we're usually trying to protect our sensitive electronic components from being subjected to a static discharge. Preventative measures against static electricity include wearing ESD (electrostatic discharge) wrist straps, or adding special components in circuits to protect against very high spikes of charge.

Current Electricity

Current electricity is the form of electricity which makes all of our electronic gizmos possible. This form of electricity exists when charges are able to constantly flow . As opposed to static electricity where charges gather and remain at rest, current electricity is dynamic, charges are always on the move. We'll be focusing on this form of electricity throughout the rest of the tutorial.

In order to flow, current electricity requires a circuit : a closed, never-ending loop of conductive material. A circuit could be as simple as a conductive wire connected end-to-end, but useful circuits usually contain a mix of wire and other components which control the flow of electricity. The only rule when it comes to making circuits is they can't have any insulating gaps in them.

If you have a wire full of copper atoms and want to induce a flow of electrons through it, all free electrons need somewhere to flow in the same general direction. Copper is a great conductor, perfect for making charges flow. If a circuit of copper wire is broken, the charges can't flow through the air, which will also prevent any of the charges toward the middle from going anywhere.

On the other hand, if the wire were connected end-to-end, the electrons all have a neighboring atom and can all flow in the same general direction.

We now understand how electrons can flow, but how do we get them flowing in the first place? Then, once the electrons are flowing, how do they produce the energy required to illuminate light bulbs or spin motors? For that, we need to understand electric fields.

Electric Fields

We have a handle on how electrons flow through matter to create electricity. That's all there is to electricity. Well, almost all. Now we need a source to induce the flow of electrons. Most often that source of electron flow will come from an electric field.

What's a Field?

A field is a tool we use to model physical interactions which don't involve any observable contact . Fields can't be seen as they don't have a physical appearance, but the effect they have is very real.

We're all subconsciously familiar with one field in particular: Earth's gravitational field , the effect of a massive body attracting other bodies. Earth's gravitational field can be modeled with a set of vectors all pointing into the center of the planet; regardless of where you are on the surface, you'll feel the force pushing you towards it.

The strength or intensity of fields isn't uniform at all points in the field. The further you are from the source of the field the less effect the field has. The magnitude of Earth's gravitational field decreases as you get further away from the center of the planet.

As we go on to explore electric fields in particular remember how Earth's gravitational field works, both fields share many similarities. Gravitational fields exert a force on objects of mass, and electric fields exert a force on objects of charge.

Electric fields (e-fields) are an important tool in understanding how electricity begins and continues to flow. Electric fields describe the pulling or pushing force in a space between charges . Compared to Earth's gravitational field, electric fields have one major difference: while Earth's field generally only attracts other objects of mass (since everything is so significantly less massive), electric fields push charges away just as often as they attract them.

The direction of electric fields is always defined as the direction a positive test charge would move if it was dropped in the field. The test charge has to be infinitely small, to keep its charge from influencing the field.

We can begin by constructing electric fields for solitary positive and negative charges. If you dropped a positive test charge near a negative charge, the test charge would be attracted towards the negative charge. So, for a single, negative charge we draw our electric field arrows pointing inward at all directions. That same test charge dropped near another positive charge would result in an outward repulsion, which means we draw arrows going out of the positive charge.

The electric fields of single charges. A negative charge has an inward electric field because it attracts positive charges. The positive charge has an outward electric field, pushing away like charges.

Groups of electric charges can be combined to make more complete electric fields.

The uniform e-field above points away from the positive charges, towards the negatives. Imagine a tiny positive test charge dropped in the e-field; it should follow the direction of the arrows. As we've seen, electricity usually involves the flow of electrons--negative charges--which flow against electric fields.

Electric fields provide us with the pushing force we need to induce current flow. An electric field in a circuit is like an electron pump: a large source of negative charges that can propel electrons, which will flow through the circuit towards the positive lump of charges.

Electric Potential (Energy)

When we harness electricity to power our circuits, gizmos, and gadgets, we're really transforming energy. Electronic circuits must be able to store energy and transfer it to other forms like heat, light, or motion. The stored energy of a circuit is called electric potential energy.

Energy? Potential Energy?

To understand potential energy we need to understand energy in general. Energy is defined as the ability of an object to do work on another object, which means moving that object some distance. Energy comes in many forms , some we can see (like mechanical) and others we can't (like chemical or electrical). Regardless of what form it's in, energy exists in one of two states : kinetic or potential.

An object has kinetic energy when it's in motion. The amount of kinetic energy an object has depends on its mass and speed. Potential energy , on the other hand, is a stored energy when an object is at rest. It describes how much work the object could do if set into motion. It's an energy we can generally control. When an object is set into motion, its potential energy transforms into kinetic energy.

Let's go back to using gravity as an example. A bowling ball sitting motionless at the top of Khalifa tower has a lot of potential (stored) energy. Once dropped, the ball--pulled by the gravitational field--accelerates towards the ground. As the ball accelerates, potential energy is converted into kinetic energy (the energy from motion). Eventually all of the ball's energy is converted from potential to kinetic, and then passed on to whatever it hits. When the ball is on the ground, it has a very low potential energy.

Electric Potential Energy

Just like mass in a gravitational field has gravitational potential energy, charges in an electric field have an electric potential energy . A charge's electric potential energy describes how much stored energy it has, when set into motion by an electrostatic force, that energy can become kinetic, and the charge can do work.

Like a bowling ball sitting at the top of a tower, a positive charge in close proximity to another positive charge has a high potential energy; left free to move, the charge would be repelled away from the like charge. A positive test charge placed near a negative charge would have low potential energy, analogous to the bowling ball on the ground.

To instill anything with potential energy, we have to do work by moving it over a distance. In the case of the bowling ball, the work comes from carrying it up 163 floors, against the field of gravity. Similarly, work must be done to push a positive charge against the arrows of an electric field (either towards another positive charge, or away from a negative charge). The further up the field the charge goes, the more work you have to do. Likewise, if you try to pull a negative charge away from a positive charge--against an electric field--you have to do work.

For any charge located in an electric field its electric potential energy depends on the type (positive or negative), amount of charge, and its position in the field. Electric potential energy is measured in units of joules ( J ).

Electric Potential

Electric potential builds upon electric potential energy to help define how much energy is stored in electric fields . It's another concept which helps us model the behavior of electric fields. Electric potential is not the same thing as electric potential energy!

At any point in an electric field the electric potential is the amount of electric potential energy divided by the amount of charge at that point. It takes the charge quantity out of the equation and leaves us with an idea of how much potential energy specific areas of the electric field may provide. Electric potential comes in units of joules per coulomb ( J/C ), which we define as a volt (V).

In any electric field there are two points of electric potential that are of significant interest to us. There's a point of high potential, where a positive charge would have the highest possible potential energy, and there's a point of low potential, where a charge would have the lowest possible potential energy.

One of the most common terms we discuss in evaluating electricity is voltage . A voltage is the difference in potential between two points in an electric field. Voltage gives us an idea of just how much pushing force an electric field has.

With potential and potential energy under our belt we have all of the ingredients necessary to make current electricity. Let's do it!

Electricity in Action!

After studying particle physics, field theory, and potential energy, we now know enough to make electricity flow. Let's make a circuit!

First we will review the ingredients we need to make electricity:

• The definition of electricity is the flow of charge . Usually our charges will be carried by free-flowing electrons.
• Negatively-charged electrons are loosely held to atoms of conductive materials. With a little push we can free electrons from atoms and get them to flow in a generally uniform direction.
• A closed circuit of conductive material provides a path for electrons to continuously flow.
• The charges are propelled by an electric field . We need a source of electric potential (voltage), which pushes electrons from a point of low potential energy to higher potential energy.

A Short Circuit

Batteries are common energy sources which convert chemical energy to electrical energy. They have two terminals, which connect to the rest of the circuit. On one terminal there are an excess of negative charges, while all of the positive charges coalesce on the other. This is an electric potential difference just waiting to act!

If we connected our wire full of conductive copper atoms to the battery, that electric field will influence the negatively-charged free electrons in the copper atoms. Simultaneously pushed by the negative terminal and pulled by the positive terminal, the electrons in the copper will move from atom to atom creating the flow of charge we know as electricity.

After a second of the current flow, the electrons have actually moved very little--fractions of a centimeter. However, the energy produced by the current flow is huge , especially since there's nothing in this circuit to slow down the flow or consume the energy. Connecting a pure conductor directly across an energy source is a bad idea . Energy moves very quickly through the system and is transformed into heat in the wire, which may quickly turn into melting wire or fire.

Illuminating a Light Bulb

Instead of wasting all that energy, not to mention destroying the battery and wire, let's build a circuit that does something useful! Generally an electric circuit will transfer electric energy into some other form--light, heat, motion, etc. If we connect a light bulb to the battery with wires in between, we have a simple, functional circuit.

Schematic: A battery (left) connecting to a lightbulb (right), the circuit is completed when the switch (top) closes. With the circuit closed, electrons can flow, pushed from the negative terminal of the battery through the lightbulb, to the positive terminal.

While the electrons move at a snails pace, the electric field affects the entire circuit almost instantly (we're talking speed of light fast). Electrons throughout the circuit, whether at the lowest potential, highest potential, or right next to the light bulb, are influenced by the electric field. When the switch closes and the electrons are subjected to the electric field, all electrons in the circuit start flowing at seemingly the same time. Those charges nearest the light bulb will take one step through the circuit and start transforming energy from electrical to light (or heat).

Resources and Going Further

In this tutorial we've uncovered just a tiny portion of the tip of the proverbial iceberg. There's still a ton of concepts left uncovered. From here we'd recommend you step right on over to our Voltage, Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law tutorial. Now that you know all about electric fields (voltage) and flowing electrons (current), you're well on your way to understanding the law that governs their interaction.

Interested in learning more foundational topics?

See our Engineering Essentials page for a full list of cornerstone topics surrounding electrical engineering.

Take me there!

For more information and visualizations explaining electricity, visit this site .

Here are some other beginner level concept tutorials we'd recommend reading through:

• What is a Circuit?
• Electric Power
• Series and Parallel Circuits

Or, maybe you'd like to learn something practical? In that case, check out some of these basic level skill tutorials:

• How to Use a Multimeter
• Working With Wire
• Sewing With Conductive Thread
• Electrical Engineering
• Creative Commons tutorials are CC BY-SA 4.0
• Your Account

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, what is electrical energy examples and explanation.

General Education

Electrical energy is an important concept that helps run the world as we know it. In the U.S. alone, the average family uses 10,649 kilowatthours (kWh) per year , which is enough electrical energy to brew over 120,000 pots of coffee!

But understanding what electrical energy is and how it works can be tricky. That’s why we’ve put together this article to help enlighten you! (Pardon our dad joke.)

Keep reading to learn all about electrical energy, including:

• The definition of electrical energy
• How electrical energy works
• If electrical energy is potential or kinetic
• Electrical energy examples

 By the time you’re finished with this article, you’ll know the essentials of electrical energy and be able to see its influence all around you.

We’ve got a lot to cover, so let’s dive in!

Electrical Energy Definition

So, what is electrical energy? In a nutshell, electrical energy is the energy (both kinetic and potential) in the charged particles of an atom that can be used to apply force and/or do work. That means that electrical energy has the capacity to move an object or cause an action . 

Electrical energy is all around us in many different forms. Some of the best electrical energy examples are car batteries using electrical energy to power systems, wall outlets transferring electrical energy to charge our phones, and our muscles using electrical energy to contract and relax!

Electrical energy is definitely important for our day-to-day lives, but there are lots of other types of energy out there, too . Thermal energy, chemical energy, nuclear energy, light energy, and sound energy are just some of the other major types of energy. Although there may be some overlap of the types of energy (like a wall outlet providing light to a lamp that produces a small amount of heat), it’s important to note that the types of energy act distinctly from one another , though they may be converted into other types of energy .

This quick explainer video on electricity is a great primer on what electrical energy is and how it works. 

How Does Electrical Energy Work?

Now that you know what electrical energy is, we’ll cover where electrical energy comes from.

If you’ve studied physics before, you might know that energy can be neither created nor destroyed. Although it might seem like the results of electrical energy come from nowhere, the energy in a bolt of lightning or a jogging session come from a series of changes at the molecular level. It all starts with atoms. 

Atoms contain three main parts : neutrons, protons, and electrons. The nucleus, or the center of the atom, is made up of neutrons and protons. Electrons circle the nucleus in shells. The electron shells kind of look like rings or orbital paths that go around the nucleus. 

(AG Caesar/ Wikimedia )

The number of shells an atom has depends on a lot of things, including the type of atom and whether it’s positively, negatively, or neutrally charged. But here’s the important bit when it comes to electrical energy: the electrons in the shell closest to the nucleus have a strong attraction to the nucleus, but that connection weakens as you move out to the outermost shell. The outermost shell of an atom is known as the valence shell...and the electrons in that shell are known as valence electrons! 

Because the valence electrons are only weakly connected to the atom, they can actually be forced out of their orbits when they come into contact with another atom. These electrons can “jump” from the outer shell of their home atom to the outer shell of the new atom. When this happens, it produces electrical energy. 

So how do you know when an atom is primed to gain or lose electrons to create electrical energy? Just take a look at the valence electrons. An atom can only ever have eight valence electrons in its outer shell, also known as an octet. If an atom has three or fewer valence electrons, it’s more likely to lose electrons to another atom. When an atom loses electrons to the point that its protons outnumber its electrons, it becomes a positively charged cation .  

Likewise, atoms that have an almost full valence shell (with six or seven valence electrons) are more likely to gain electrons in order to have a full octet. When an atom gains electrons to the point where electrons outnumber the atom’s protons, it becomes a negatively charged anion .  

Regardless of whether an atom gains or loses electrons, the act of electron movement from one atom to another results in electrical energy . This electrical energy can be used in the form of electricity to do things like power the appliances in your house or run a pacemaker. But it can also be converted to other kinds of energy , like the thermal energy from a toaster that’s plugged into a wall.

Think electrical energy and electricity are the same thing? Not quite! Electricity is just one result of electrical energy. 

Electric Energy vs Electricity

While these terms sound similar, electric energy and electricity are not the same thing . While all electricity is the result of electric energy, not all electric energy is electricity.

According to Khan Academy , energy is defined as the measurement of an object’s ability to do work. In physics, “work” is the energy to an object in order to move an object As we talked about in the last section, electric energy comes from the movement of electrons between atoms, which creates a transfer of energy...also known as work. This work generates electric energy, which is measured in Joules. 

Keep in mind that electric energy can be converted to all sorts of other kinds of energy , like the thermal energy from a toaster that’s plugged into a wall. That thermal energy creates heat which is what turns your bread into toast! So while electrical energy can become electricity, it doesn’t have to! 

When the electron flow of electrical energy is channeled through a conductor, like a wire, it becomes electricity. This movement of an electric charge is called an electric current (and is measured in Watts). These currents, completed through electrical circuits , can power our TVs, stovetops, and much more, all because the electrical energy was directed towards producing a particular desired action, like lighting up the screen or boiling your water.

Is Electrical Energy Potential or Kinetic?

If you’ve studied energy before, you know that energy can fall into two different main categories: potential and kinetic. Potential energy is essentially stored energy. When atoms’ valence electrons are kept from jumping around, that atom is able to hold--and store--potential energy. 

On the other hand, kinetic energy is essentially energy that moves or moves something else. Kinetic energy transfers its energy onto other objects in order to generate force on that object. In kinetic energy, the electrons are free to move between valence shells in order to create electrical energy. Thus, the potential energy stored in that atom is converted to kinetic energy...and ultimately, electrical energy. 

So, is electrical energy potential or kinetic? The answer is both! However, electrical energy cannot be both potential and kinetic at the same time. When you see electrical energy enacting work on another object, it’s kinetic, but right before it was able to do that work, it was potential energy.  

Here’s an example. When you’re charging your phone, the electricity moving from the wall outlet into your phone battery is kinetic energy. But a battery is designed to hold electricity to use later. That held energy is potential energy, which can become kinetic energy when you’re ready to turn your phone on and use it. 

Electromagnets--like the one above--work because electricity and magnetism are closely related. (Amazing Science/ Giphy )

What Does Electrical Energy Have to Do With Magnetism?

You’ve probably played with a magnet at some point in your life, so you know that magnets are objects that can attract or repel other objects with a magnetic field. 

But what you might not know is that magnetic fields are caused by a moving electrical charge. Magnets have poles, a north pole and a south pole (these are called dipoles). These poles are oppositely charged--so the north pole is positively charged, and the south pole is negatively charged. 

We already know that atoms can be positively and negatively charged, too. It turns out that magnetic fields are generated by charged electrons that are aligned with one another! In this case, the negatively charged atoms and the positively charged atoms are at different poles of a magnet, which creates both an electrical and a magnetic field. 

Because positive and negative charges are a result of electrical energy, that means that magnetism is closely related to systems of electrical energy. In fact, so are most interactions between atoms, which is why we have electromagnetism. Electromagnetism is the interrelated relationships between magnetic and electric fields. 

Check out some hair-raising examples of electrical energy below. #AnotherDadJoke (Gifbin/ Giphy )

Electrical Energy Examples

You may still be wondering, “What is electrical energy like in the real world?” Never fear! We’ve got four great real-life electrical energy examples so you can learn more about electrical energy in practice.

Example 1: A Balloon Stuck to Your Hair

If you’ve ever been to a birthday party, you’ve likely tried the trick where you rub a balloon on your head and to stick it to your hair. When you take the balloon away, your hair will float after the balloon, even while you hold it inches away from your head! Physics students know that this isn’t just magic… it’s static electricity.

Static electricity is one of the kinds of kinetic energy produced by electrical energy. Static electricity happens when two substances are held together by opposing forces . It is called “static” because the attraction holds the two objects together until electrons are allowed to move back to their original places. Using what we’ve learned so far, let’s take a closer look at how this trick works.

We know that, in order for two atoms to attract, they must have opposite charges. But if both the balloon and your hair start out as neutrally charged, how do they come to have opposite charges? Simply put, when you rub the balloon against your hair, some of the free electrons jump from object to object , making your hair have a positive charge and the balloon a negative charge.

When you let go, the balloon is so attracted to your hair that it tries to hold itself in place. If you try to separate the attracted charges, your positively-charged hair will still try to stay attached to the negative balloon by floating upward using that kinetic electrical energy!

However, this attraction won’t last forever. Because the attraction between the balloon and your hair is relatively weak, the molecules of your hair and the balloon will each try to seek equilibrium by restoring their original numbers of electrons, eventually making them lose their charges as they gain or lose the electrons.

Example 2: Cardiac Defibrillators

If you’re looking for good electrical examples of both potential and kinetic energy, look no further than the defibrillator. Defibrillators have saved thousands of lives by correcting irregular heartbeats in emergency situations like cardiac arrest. But how do they do it?

Unsurprisingly, defibrillators get their lifesaving abilities from electrical energy. Defibrillators contain a lot of electrical potential energy that is stored in the two plates of the defibrillator’s capacitor . (These are sometimes known as paddles.) One of the plates is negatively charged, while the other is positively charged. 

When these plates are placed at different locations on the body, it creates an electric bolt that jumps between the two plates. The potential energy becomes kinetic energy as the electrons from the positive plate rush to the negative plate. This bolt goes through the human heart and stops its electrical signals within the muscle with the hope that its irregular electrical pattern will restart to normal.

Defibrillators contain extremely powerful electrical energy, so be careful if you ever are around one!

Example 3: Wind Turbines

Often placed in out-of-the-way places, wind turbines turn natural wind into energy that can be used to power our homes, technology, and more. But how does a turbine change something as seemingly non-electrical as the wind into usable, sustainable energy?

At its most basic, wind turbines turn motion energy into electrical energy. While explaining how wind works deserves a blog post of its own, what you need to know is that when wind hits the turbine’s blades, it turns the rotor hub like a windmill. This kinetic energy turns an internal component, called a nacelle, which contains an electrical generator. In turn, this generator converts this energy into electrical energy by forcing electrical charges already present in the generator to move, creating an electrical current...which is also electricity.

Because this movement is channeled through electricity conductors, specifically wires, this flow of charges can continue to larger electrical grids, like homes, neighborhoods, and even cities.

Example 4: Batteries in a Kids’ Toy

In the same way that a wind turbine converts one type of energy into another, a battery in a children’s toy converts energy in order to make the toy work. Batteries have two ends, a positive and a negative. It’s important to put the right ends into the right places in the toy, otherwise it won’t work.

The positive end has—you guessed it!—a positive charge, while the negative end has a negative charge. That means that the negative end has a lot more electrons than the positive end, and the battery as a whole is trying to get to equilibrium. The way that they do this is through chemical reactions that start when the batteries are placed inside a toy that’s turned on. 

The positive end can’t simply get to the negative end because of the acid that separates them in the battery’s interior. Instead, the electrons have to go through the entire toy’s circuitry to reach the negative end, allowing a baby doll to cry or a toy helicopter to fly. 

When all the electrons on the positive end have reached equilibrium, there are no more electrons to go through the wiring, meaning that it’s time for new batteries!

Common Units of Electrical Energy

While studying the basic electrical energy definition and principles are important, you’ll also need to know some formulas and equations as you continue exploring electrical energy. Many of these formulas use the same symbols to signify particular units.

We’ve included a table of some of the most common units of electrical energy for your reference, as well as what each unit means.

Source: https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/dccircuits/electrical-energy.html

While there are many more units that you may need in your equations for electrical energy, this list should get you started!

Conclusion: Here’s What to Remember About Electrical Energy

You’ve made it through your crash course on electrical energy, and now you’re ready to tackle any exam or course that will test your electrical physics knowledge. However, if you remember nothing else, keep these in mind in your next electrical energy lesson:

• The electrical energy definition: the ability to perform work.
• Electrical energy comes from the attraction or repulsion of negatively and positively-charged molecules.
• Electrical energy is both potential and kinetic energy.
• A few electrical energy examples are a defibrillator, a battery, and wind turbines .

We hope you’ve been positively charged with all the information in this blog! Keep studying, and in no time, you’ll be an electrical energy pro. 

What's Next? 

Need a little extra help with your Physics formulas? Then this equations cheat sheet is exactly what you're looking for.

Are you thinking about taking more physics classes in high school? Taking AP Physics can help you deepen your scientific skills and earn you college credit. Learn more about AP Physics--and the differences between AP Physics 1, 2, and C--in this article.

If you're in IB Physics, we've got you covered, too. Here's a breakdown of the course syllabus , and here's our round-up of the best IB Physics study guides out there.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Electricity

by Chris Woodford . Last updated: March 23, 2024.

I f you've ever sat watching a thunderstorm, with mighty lightning bolts darting down from the sky, you'll have some idea of the power of electricity . A bolt of lightning is a sudden, massive surge of electricity between the sky and the ground beneath. The energy in a single lightning bolt is enough to light 100 powerful lamps for a whole day or to make about twenty thousand slices of toast! [1]

Electricity is the most versatile energy source that we have; it is also one of the newest: homes and businesses have been using it for not much more than a hundred years. Electricity has played a vital part of our past. But it could play a different role in our future, with many more buildings generating their own renewable electric power using solar cells and wind turbines. Let's take a closer look at electricity and find out how it works!

What is electricity?

Electricity is a type of energy that can build up in one place or flow from one place to another. When electricity gathers in one place it is known as static electricity (the word static means something that does not move); electricity that moves from one place to another is called current electricity .

• Static electricity

Photo: Lightning happens when static electricity (built up in one place) turns to current electricity (flowing from one place to another).

Static electricity often happens when you rub things together. If you rub a balloon against your pullover 20 or 30 times, you'll find the balloon sticks to you. This happens because rubbing the balloon gives it an electric charge (a small amount of electricity). The charge makes it stick to your pullover like a magnet , because your pullover gains an opposite electric charge. So your pullover and the balloon attract one another like the opposite ends of two magnets.

Have you ever walked across a nylon rug or carpet and felt a slight tingling sensation? Then touched something metal, like a door knob or a faucet (tap), and felt a sharp pain in your hand? That is an example of an electric shock . When you walk across the rug, your feet are rubbing against it. Your body gradually builds up an electric charge, which is the tingling you can sense. When you touch metal, the charge runs instantly to Earth—and that's the shock you feel.

Lightning is also caused by static electricity. As rain clouds move through the sky, ice crystals inside them sink to the bottom, while water droplets rise to the top. The crystals have one kind of charge (negative) while the water droplets have the other kind (positive). It's the separation of these charges that allows a cloud to build up its power. Eventually, when the charge is big enough, it leaps to Earth as a bolt of lightning. You can often feel the tingling in the air when a storm is brewing nearby. This is the electricity in the air around you. Read more about this in our article on capacitors .

How static electricity works

Electricity is caused by electrons, the tiny particles that "orbit" around the edges of atoms , from which everything is made. Each electron has a small negative charge. An atom normally has an equal number of electrons and protons (positively charged particles in its nucleus or center), so atoms have no overall electrical charge. A piece of rubber is made from large collections of atoms called molecules. Since the atoms have no electrical charge, the molecules have no charge either—and nor does the rubber.

Suppose you rub a balloon on your pullover over and over again. As you move the balloon back and forward, you give it energy. The energy from your hand makes the balloon move. As it rubs against the wool in your pullover, some of the electrons in the rubber molecules are pulled free and gather on your body. This leaves the balloon with slightly too few electrons. Since electrons are negatively charged, having too few electrons makes the balloon slightly positively charged. Your pullover meanwhile gains these extra electrons and becomes negatively charged. Your pullover is negatively charged, and the balloon is positively charged. Opposite charges attract, so your pullover sticks to the balloon.

Photo: A classic demonstration of static electricity you may have seen in your school. When you touch the metal ball of a Van de Graaff static electricity generator, you receive a huge electric charge and your hair literally stands on end! Each strand of hair gets the same static charge and like charges repel, so the hairs push away from one another. In a bit more detail: the Van de Graaff ball builds up a huge positive charge. This "sucks" electrons (e) out of your body, and from the hairs in your head, leaving each clump of hair with a positive charge that repels the other hairs. Find out how a Van de Graaff Generator works .

Current electricity

When electrons move, they carry electrical energy from one place to another. This is called current electricity or an electric current . A lightning bolt is one example of an electric current, although it does not last very long. Electric currents are also involved in powering all the electrical appliances that you use, from washing machines to flashlights and from telephones to MP3 players . These electric currents last much longer.

Have you heard of the terms potential energy and kinetic energy? Potential energy means energy that is stored somehow for use in the future. A car at the top of a hill has potential energy, because it has the potential (or ability) to roll down the hill in future. When it's rolling down the hill, its potential energy is gradually converted into kinetic energy (the energy something has because it's moving). You can read more about this in our article on energy .

Static electricity and current electricity are like potential energy and kinetic energy. When electricity gathers in one place, it has the potential to do something in the future. Electricity stored in a battery is an example of electrical potential energy. You can use the energy in the battery to power a flashlight, for example. When you switch on a flashlight, the battery inside begins to supply electrical energy to the lamp, making it give off light. All the time the light is switched on, energy is flowing from the battery to the lamp. Over time, the energy stored in the battery is gradually turned into light (and heat) in the lamp. This is why the battery runs flat.

Electric circuits

For an electric current to happen, there must be a circuit . A circuit is a closed path or loop around which an electric current flows. A circuit is usually made by linking electrical components together with pieces of wire cable. Thus, 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 you turn the switch on, electricity flows around the circuit. If there is a break anywhere in the circuit, electricity cannot flow. If one of the wires is broken, for example, the lamp will not light. Similarly, if the switch is turned off, no electricity can flow. This is why a switch is sometimes called a circuit breaker .

You don't always need wires to make a circuit, however. There is a circuit formed between a storm cloud and the Earth by the air in between. Normally air does not conduct electricity. However, if there is a big enough electrical charge in the cloud, it can create charged particles in the air called ions ( atoms that have lost or gained some electrons). The ions work like an invisible cable linking the cloud above and the air below. Lightning flows through the air between the ions.

How electricity moves in a circuit

Materials such as copper metal that conduct electricity (allow it to flow freely) are called conductors . Materials that don't allow electricity to pass through them so readily, such as rubber and plastic , are called insulators . What makes copper a conductor and rubber an insulator?

A current of electricity is a steady flow of electrons. When electrons move from one place to another, round a circuit, they carry electrical energy from place to place like marching ants carrying leaves. Instead of carrying leaves, electrons carry a tiny amount of electric charge.

Electricity can travel through something when its structure allows electrons to move through it easily. Metals like copper have "free" electrons that are not bound tightly to their parent atoms. These electrons flow freely throughout the structure of copper and this is what enables an electric current to flow. In rubber, the electrons are more tightly bound. There are no "free" electrons and, as a result, electricity does not really flow through rubber at all. Conductors that let electricity flow freely are said to have a high conductance and a low resistance ; insulators that do not allow electricity to flow are the opposite: they have a low conductance and a high resistance.

For electricity to flow, there has to be something to push the electrons along. This is called an electromotive force (EMF) . A battery or power outlet creates the electromotive force that makes a current of electrons flow. An electromotive force is better known as a voltage .

Direct current and alternating current

Electromagnetism.

Electricity and magnetism are closely related. You might have seen giant steel electromagnets working in a scrapyard. An electromagnet is a magnet that can be switched on and off with electricity. When the current flows, it works like a magnet; when the current stops, it goes back to being an ordinary, unmagnetized piece of steel . Scrapyard cranes pick up bits of metal junk by switching the magnet on. To release the junk, they switch the magnet off again.

Electromagnets show that electricity can make magnetism, but how do they work? When electricity flows through a wire, it creates an invisible pattern of magnetism all around it. If you put a compass needle near an electric cable, and switch the electricity on or off, you can see the needle move because of the magnetism the cable generates. The magnetism is caused by the changing electricity when you switch the current on or off.

This is how an electric motor works. An electric motor is a machine that turns electricity into mechanical energy. In other words, electric power makes the motor spin around—and the motor can drive machinery. In a clothes washing machine , an electric motor spins the drum; in an electric drill , an electric motor makes the drill bit spin at high speed and bite into the material you're drilling. An electric motor is a cylinder packed with magnets around its edge. In the middle, there's a core made of iron wire wrapped around many times. When electricity flows into the iron core, it creates magnetism. The magnetism created in the core pushes against the magnetism in the outer cylinder and makes the core of the motor spin around. Read more in our main article on electric motors .

Make an electromagnet

Picture: Why not make an electromagnet? All you need is a few common household items.

You can make a small electromagnet using a battery, some insulated (plastic-covered) copper wire, and a nail. Here are a couple of websites that tell you what to do step-by-step:

• How do I make an electromagnet? : Handy hints from Jefferson Lab.
• Make your own Electromagnet : A simple activity from the Naked Scientists.
• Electromagnet science projects : Nine simple activities involving electromagnets from the Science Buddies website.

Making electricity

Just as electricity can make magnetism, so magnetism can make electricity. A dynamo is a bit like an electric motor inside. When you pedal your bicycle , the dynamo clipped to the wheel spins around. Inside the dynamo, there is a heavy core made from iron wire wrapped tightly around—much like the inside of a motor. The core spins freely inside some large fixed magnets. As you pedal, the core rotates inside these outer magnets and generates electricity. The electricity flows out from the dynamo and powers your bicycle lamp.

The electric generators used in power plants work in exactly the same way, only on a much bigger scale. Instead of being powered by someone's legs, pedaling furiously, these large generators are driven by steam. The steam is made by burning fuels or by nuclear reactions. Power plants can make enormous amounts of electricity, but they waste quite a lot of the energy they produce. The energy has to flow from the plant, where it is made, to the homes, offices, and factories where it is used down many miles of electric power cable. Making electricity in a power plant and delivering it to a distant building can waste up to two thirds of the energy that was originally present in the fuel!

Another problem with power plants is that they make electricity by burning "fossil fuels" such as coal, gas, or oil. This creates pollution and adds to the problem known as global warming (the way Earth is steadily heating up because of the energy people are using). Another problem with fossil fuels is that supplies are limited and they are steadily running out.

Photo: Making clean, renewable energy from the wind. Each wind turbine contains an electricity generator in the top section, just behind the spinning rotors. In this turbine, the rotors are on the left and the generator is the ribbed cylinder on the right. Photo by Joe Smith courtesy of National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) .

There are other ways to make energy that are more efficient, less polluting, and do not contribute to global warming. These types of energy are called renewable , because they can last indefinitely. Examples of renewable energy include wind turbines and solar power . Unlike huge electric power plants, they are often much more efficient ways of making electricity. Because they can be sited closer to where the electricity is used, less energy is wasted transmitting power down the wires.

Wind turbines are effectively just electric generators with a "propeller" on the front. The wind turns the propeller, which spins the generator inside, and makes a study current of electricity.

Unlike virtually every other way of making electricity, solar cells (like the ones on calculators and digital watches) do not work using electricity generators and magnetism. When light falls on a solar cell, the material it is made from (silicon) captures the light's energy and turns it directly into electricity. Potentially, this means solar cells are an extremely efficient way to make electricity. A home with solar electric panels on the roof might be able to make most of its own electricity, for example.

Electricity and electronics

Photo: A transistor (a typical electronic component) on a circuit board. Components like this run on electricity, just like clothes washing machines, but they use much smaller currents and voltages.

Electricity is about using relatively large currents of electrical energy to do useful jobs, like driving a washing machine or powering an electric drill. Electronics is a very different kind of electricity. It's a way of controlling things using incredibly tiny currents of electricity—sometimes even individual electrons! Suppose you have an electronic clothes washing machine. Large currents of electricity come from the power outlet (mains supply) to make the drum rotate and heat the water. Smaller currents of electricity operate the electronic components in the washing machine's programmer unit. These tiny currents control the bigger currents, making the drum rotate back and forth, starting and stopping the water supply, and so on. Read more in our main article on electronics .

The power of electricity

Before the invention of electricity, people had to make energy wherever and whenever they needed it. Thus, they had to make wood or coal fires to heat their homes or cook food. The invention of electricity changed all that. It meant energy could be made in one place then supplied over long distances to wherever it was needed. People no longer had to worry about making energy for heating or cooking: all they had to do was plug in and switch on—and the energy was there as soon as they wanted it.

Another good thing about electricity is that it's like a common "language" that all modern appliances can "speak." You can run a car using the energy in gasoline, or you can cook food on a barbecue in your garden using charcoal, though you can't run your car on charcoal or cook food with gasoline. But electricity is quite different. You can cook with it, run cars on it, heat your home with it, and charge your cellphone with it. This is the great beauty and the power of electricity: it's energy for everyone, everywhere, and always.

Measuring electricity

We can measure electricity in a number of different ways, but a few measurements are particularly important.

The voltage is a kind of electrical force that makes electricity move through a wire and we measure it in volts. The bigger the voltage, the more current will tend to flow. So a 12-volt car battery will generally produce more current than a 1.5-volt flashlight battery.

Voltage does not, itself, go anywhere: it's quite wrong to talk about voltage "flowing through" things. What moves through the wire in a circuit is electrical current : a steady flow of electrons, measured in amperes (or amps).

Together, voltage and current give you electrical power . The bigger the voltage and the bigger the current, the more electrical power you have. We measure electric power in units called watts. Something that uses 1 watt uses 1 joule of energy each second.

The electric power in a circuit is equal to the voltage × the current (in other words: watts = volts × amps). So if you have a 100-watt (100 W) light and you know your electricity supply is rated as 120 volts (typical household voltage in the United States), the current flowing must be 100/120 = 0.8 amps. If you're in Europe, your household voltage is more likely 230 volts. So if you use the same 100-watt light, the current flowing is 100/230 = 0.4 amps. The light burns just as brightly in both countries and uses the same amount of power in each case; in Europe it uses a higher voltage and lower current; in the States, there's a lower voltage and higher current. (One quick note: 120 volts and 230 volts are the "nominal" or standard household voltages—the voltages you're supposed to have, in theory. In practice, your home might have more or less voltage than this, for all sorts of reasons, but mainly because of how far you are from your local power plant or power supply.)

A brief history of electricity

• 600 BCE: Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus (c.624–546 BCE) discovered static electricity.
• 1600 CE: English scientist William Gilbert (1544–1603) was the first person to use the word "electricity." He believed electricity was caused by a moving fluid called humor.
• 1733: French scientist Charles du Fay (1698–1739) found that there were two different kinds of static electric charge.
• 1752: American printer, journalist, scientist, and statesman Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) carried out further experiments and named the two kinds of electric charge "positive" and "negative."
• 1780: Italian biologist Luigi Galvani (1737–1798) touched two pieces of metal to a dead frog's leg and made it jump. This led him to believe electricity is made inside animals' bodies.
• 1785: French scientist Charles Augustin de Coulomb (1736–1806) explored the mysteries of electric fields: the electrically active areas around electric charges.
• 1800: One of Galvani's friends, an Italian physics professor named Alessandro Volta (1745–1827), realized "animal electricity" was made by the metals Galvani had used. After further research, he found out how to make electricity by joining different metals together and invented batteries.
• 1827: German physicist Georg Ohm (1789–1854) found some materials carry electricity better than others and developed the idea of resistance.
• 1820: Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted (1777–1851) put a compass near an electric cable and discovered that electricity can make magnetism.
• 1821: A French physicist called Andre-Marie Ampère (1775–1836) put two electric cables near to one another, wired them up to a power source, and watched them push one another apart. This showed electricity and magnetism can work together to make a force.
• 1821: Michael Faraday (1791–1867), an English chemist and physicist, developed the first, primitive electric motor.
• 1830s: American physicist Joseph Henry (1797–1879) and British inventor William Sturgeon (1783–1850) independently made the first practical electromagnets and electric motors.
• 1831: Building on his earlier discoveries, Michael Faraday invented the electric generator.
• 1840: Scottish physicist James Prescott Joule (1818–1889) proved that electricity is a kind of energy.
• 1870s: Belgian engineer Zénobe Gramme (1826–1901) made the first large-scale electric generators.
• 1873: James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879), another British physicist, set out a detailed theory of electromagnetism (how electricity and magnetism work together).
• 1881: The world's first experimental electric power plant opened in Godalming, England.
• 1882: Thomas Edison (1846–1931) built the first large-scale electric power plants in the USA.
• 1890s: Edison's former employee Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) promoted alternating current (AC) electricity, a rival to the direct current (DC) system promoted by Edison. Edison and Tesla battled for supremacy and, although Edison is remembered as the pioneer of electric power, it was Tesla's AC system that ultimately triumphed.

DON'T ever play with electricity!

Electricity is amazingly useful—but it can be really dangerous as well. When electricity zaps from power plants to your home, it's at thousands of times higher voltages and massively more dangerous than the electricity in your home. If you are silly enough to touch or play near power equipment, you could die an extremely nasty and unpleasant death —electricity doesn't just shock you, it burns you alive. Heed warnings like this one and stay well away.

Electricity can also be dangerous in your home. Household electric power can kill you, so be sure to treat it with respect too. Don't play with household power sockets or push things into them. Don't take apart electrical appliances, because dangerous voltages can linger inside for a long time after they are switched off. If you want to know what something electrical looks like inside, search on the web—you'll find a safe answer that way.

It's generally okay to use small (1.5 volt) flashlight batteries for your experiments if you want to learn about electricity; they make small and safe voltages and electric currents that will do you no harm. Ask an adult for advice if you're not sure what's safe.

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Also on this site

History of electricity, for younger children (ages 9–12).

• The Shocking World of Electricity with Max Axiom Super Scientist by Liam O'Donnell. Capstone, 2019. A graphic-novel (comic) style introduction likely to appeal to reluctant readers. Ages 7–10.
• Electricity (Science in a Flash) by Georgia Amson-Bradshaw. Hachette/Franklin Watts, 2017/2018. A clearly written 32-page guide for ages 7–9, with some basic hands-on activities and a helpful glossary.
• Electricity for Young Makers: Fun and Easy Do-It-Yourself Projects by Marc de Vinck. Maker Media, 2017. A safe and friendly hands-on introduction in which you get to build a flashlight, a loudspeaker, and a couple of electric motors!
• A Beginner's Guide to Electricity and Magnetism by Gill Arbuthnot. A&C Black/Bloomsbury, 2016. Another 64-page overview for ages 7–10.
• Eyewitness: Electricity by Steve Parker. Dorling Kindersley, 2005. A classic glossy Eyewitness book that blends facts and history. Also worth investing in the same series: Eyewitness: Electronics by Roger Bridgman. Dorling Kindersley, 2007. This one takes a similar approach but covers electronics and electronic components.
• Charged Up: The Story of Electricity by Jackie Bailey and Matthew Lilly. Picture Window Books/A & C Black, 2004. A humorous, cartoon-style tour through the history of electricity. (For some reason, it's also published under the title "Charging About.")

For older children (ages 10+)

• MAKE Electronics by Charles Platt. O'Reilly, 2015. A great hands-on guide to learning about electronic components and circuits.
• Electronic Gadgets for the Evil Genius by Roger Iannini. McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. There are quite a few "Evil Genius" books in this series that will appeal to budding young hackers keen to experiment with more advanced circuits.

Children's books by me

• Scientific Pathways: Electricity by Chris Woodford. Rosen, 2013: A simple introduction to the history of electricity, from the ancient Greeks to modern times. This book aims to show how science and technology progresses from one discovery to the next, a bit like a relay race, through the work of many different people. (This is an updated version of a book originally published by Blackbirch in 2004 under the series title Routes of Science.)
• Cool Science: Experiments with Electricity and Magnetism by Chris Woodford. Gareth Stevens, 2010: A 32-page, hands-on, practical approach to understanding electricity and magnetism.
• The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World by Randall Stross. Random House, 2007. A revised look at the life of Thomas Edison, which portrays him as a much more flawed and hapless figure than conventional accounts.
• Electricity & Electronics Science Projects : Lots of great science fair project ideas from Science Buddies.
• Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Electricity : Simple experiments with electricity you can try for yourself.
• Creative Science Centre: Things to Make : Quite a few of Dr Jonathan Hare's projects are simple and safe experiments with electricity.

Notes and references

Text copyright © Chris Woodford 2006, 2021. All rights reserved. Full copyright notice and terms of use .

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Electricity is a form of energy involving the flow of electrons. All matter is made up of atoms, which has a center called a nucleus. The nucleus contains positively charged particles called protons and uncharged particles called neutrons. The nucleus of an atom is surrounded by negatively charged particles called electrons. The negative charge of an electron is equal to the positive charge of a proton, and the number of electrons in an atom is usually equal to the number of protons.

When the balancing force between protons and electrons is upset by an outside force, an atom may gain or lose an electron. And when electrons are "lost" from an atom, the free movement of these electrons constitutes an electric current.

Humans and electricity

Electricity is a basic part of nature and it is one of our most widely used forms of energy. Humans get electricity, which is a secondary energy source, from the conversion of other sources of energy, like coal, natural gas, oil and nuclear power. The original natural sources of electricity are called primary sources.

Many cities and towns were built alongside waterfalls (a primary source of mechanical energy) that turned  water wheels  to perform work. And before electricity generation began slightly over 100 years ago, houses were lit with kerosene lamps, food was cooled in iceboxes, and rooms were warmed by wood-burning or coal-burning stoves.

Beginning with  Benjamin Franklin's  experiment with a kite one stormy night in Philadelphia, the principles of electricity gradually became understood. In the mid-1800s, everyone's life changed with the invention of the electric  light bulb . Prior to 1879, electricity had been used in arc lights for outdoor lighting. The lightbulb's invention used electricity to bring indoor lighting to our homes.

Generating electricity

An electric generator (Long ago, a machine that generated electricity was named "dynamo" today's preferred term is "generator") is a device for converting mechanical energy into electrical energy . The process is based on the relationship between magnetism and electricity . When a wire or any other electrically conductive material moves across a magnetic field, an electric current occurs in the wire.

The large generators used by the electric utility industry have a stationary conductor. A magnet attached to the end of a rotating shaft is positioned inside a stationary conducting ring that is wrapped with a long, continuous piece of wire. When the magnet rotates, it induces a small electric current in each section of wire as it passes. Each section of wire constitutes a small, separate electric conductor. All the small currents of individual sections add up to one current of considerable size. This current is what is used for electric power.

An electric utility power station uses either a turbine, engine, water wheel, or other similar machine to drive an electric generator or device that converts mechanical or chemical energy to electricity. Steam turbines, internal-combustion engines, gas combustion turbines, water turbines, and wind turbines are the most common methods to generate electricity. 

• FAQ: What is Electricity?
• 10 Examples of Electrical Conductors and Insulators
• 10 Types of Energy With Examples
• How Does Electrical Energy Work?
• The Relationship Between Electricity and Magnetism
• Electron Definition: Chemistry Glossary
• Dipole Definition in Chemistry and Physics
• How a Photovoltic Cell Works
• An Atomic Description of Silicon: The Silicon Molecule
• Chemistry Timeline
• What is the Difference Between an Atom and an Ion?
• Atoms and Atomic Theory - Study Guide
• Basic Model of the Atom and Atomic Theory
• Bohr Model of the Atom Explained
• The Science of How Magnets Work
• History of Electricity

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• What Is Electricity?

Lesson What Is Electricity?

Grade Level: 5 (5-6)

Time Required: 1 hours 15 minutes

Lesson Dependency: None

Subject Areas: Physical Science, Physics, Science and Technology

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An understanding of electricity is important for general technological literacy. In addition, many engineering careers require a fundamental knowledge of electricity in order to invent and design technologies and products that we depend upon every day. Electricity is present everywhere in our modern lives and engineers who specialize in electricity (electrical engineers) make that possible.

After this lesson, students should be able to:

• Relate the flow of electrons to current.
• Correlate the flow of water with the flow of electricity in a system.
• Explain that static electricity is the buildup of a charge (either net positive or net negative) over a surface.
• Compare and contrast two forms of electricity—current and static.
• Name a few engineering careers that involve electricity.

Educational Standards Each TeachEngineering lesson or activity is correlated to one or more K-12 science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) educational standards. All 100,000+ K-12 STEM standards covered in TeachEngineering are collected, maintained and packaged by the Achievement Standards Network (ASN) , a project of D2L (www.achievementstandards.org). In the ASN, standards are hierarchically structured: first by source; e.g. , by state; within source by type; e.g. , science or mathematics; within type by subtype, then by grade, etc .

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State Standards

California - science, indiana - science, oklahoma - science.

Students should be familiar with different forms of energy, including exposure to the term "electrical energy," the basics of matter, and the structure of an atom.

(Write the following sentences on the classroom board, or ask a few students to do so.)

• Astrid turned on the computer.
• When someone shuffles their feet on the carpet, their hair gets crazy and stands up.
• I need to charge my cell phone battery.
• Lightning struck during the last storm.
• The engineer wired the circuit board.
• A lot of power is made in the desert using solar panels.
• After someone slides down the slide, they can shock you.

What do all these sentences have in common? (Give students some time to consider; listen to their ideas.) All these sentences involve electricity.

We use electricity every day, but you may not know what it is, how it works and how we can control it. So that you understand electricity, this lesson will build on the science you already know, such as energy, the parts of an atom and types of materials.

How many of these sentences involved an engineer or engineered technology? (See if students can figure it out; answer: 1, 3, 5 and 6.)

Everyone, take a moment to write a sentence that relates engineering and electricity? (Give students some time; then ask a few students to share their answers. As desired, provide additional information on the topic, such as: engineers make, control and give us ways to use electricity.)

Many fields of engineering require that people have a good understanding of electricity. For example, chemical engineers study the reactions responsible for producing charged particles to create electricity. Material engineers make many substances that serve as conductors and insulators. Electrical engineers are able to control electricity by changing the current or resistivity. This lesson covers the basics of electricity and materials so when we conduct the associated activity Is It Shocking? you can act as if you are engineers to select the best materials for retaining and releasing electricity.

Lesson Background and Concepts for Teachers

Prepare to show students the 19-slide What Is Electricity? Presentation , a PowerPoint® file, guided by the slide notes below. Note the critical thinking questions/answers included in the notes for slides 8, 10 and 12. For two simple classroom demos, have handy water and containers, and some inflated balloons.

Electricity is the flow or presence of charged particles (usually electrons). Remind students of the two types of charged particles in an atom (protons and electrons). Expect students to already have an appreciation for the importance of electricity, which can be cultivated by discussing as a class or creatively writing about what a day without electricity might be like (as provided on slides 1-2).

(Slide 1) While students are looking at the images of an electrical transmission tower and a wall of televisions in a store, ask them: How would your life be different with no electricity?

(Slide 2) Prompt: A power outage has just happened in your city. What actions from your daily life would not be possible without electricity? Use this hypothetical scenario to start a class discussion or creative writing exercise. For example, brainstorm as a class and then give students 15-20 minutes to write on their own.

Why do we bother learning about electricity? The point of the hooks in the first two slides is to emphasize that we constantly use electricity and that our lives would be dramatically different if we did not have access to electricity. Thus, understanding electricity is important in our daily lives.

(Slide 3) Topic preview: electricity, conductors, insulators, current, static charge.

(Slide 4) What are atoms? Expect the structure of an atom to be a review for students. If not, spend more time on this topic. Atoms are the basic unit of all elements of matter. They are made of electrons, protons and neutrons. The center nucleus contains the protons and neutrons.

(Slide 5) What are electrons? Electric charge is the physical property of matter that causes it to experience a force when near other electrically charged matter. Two types of electric charges exist—positive and negative. Positively charged substances are repelled from other positively charged substances, but attracted to negatively charged substances; negatively charged substances are repelled from negatively charged substances and attracted to positively charged substances. An object is negatively charged if it has an excess of electrons; otherwise, it is positively charged or uncharged (neutral).

(Slide 6) Students may not have an understanding of flow. As necessary, clarify with a simple demo: Have students pour water from one container to another to provide a tangible understanding of the concept of flow. The key point is that flow is movement ! Technically, electricity is the flow of any charged particles. The mnemonic device of "ELECTRicity and ELECTRons" may help students remember.

(Slide 7) Conductors are materials that are good at conducting electricity! In conductors, electrons are free to move around and flow easily. This is not true for insulators, in which the electrons are more tightly bound to the nuclei (which we'll discuss next). When current is applied, electrons move in the same direction.

In preparation for review questions, ask students to think of other metals they know about. You may want to discuss the properties of metals (bendable/ductile, metallic in color) to review students' knowledge of materials.

(Slide 8) Metals, such as copper, are conductors. Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity.

Critical thinking question: How would we test whether something is a good conductor? Answer: By connecting a wire of the material we want to test to a low-voltage battery with a light bulb connected to it. (It may be helpful to draw a sketch of this setup on the classroom board.) If the tested wire is a good conductor, the bulb lights up.

(Slide 9) In insulators, the electrons are more tightly bound to the nuclei (plural for nucleus) of the atoms. So in these materials, the electrons do not flow easily. What are some everyday examples? For example, most of our homes have fiberglass insulation that prevents inside heat from FLOWING outside through the walls of our houses, and the foam cozy that keeps soda from warming in the hot summer air temperatures.

Think about safety measures for electricians. Where would you want to put insulators? (Answer: Anywhere around conductors that you might touch, such as wires that carry electricity.)

Are the words "conductor" and "insulator" antonyms or synonyms? (Answer: Antonyms, or opposites.)

Are insulators such as glass, wood and rubber considered metals or nonmetals? Think of the periodic table and the primary elemental components of these materials (silicon for glass, carbon for wood, and carbon and oxygen for rubber). (Answer: Nonmetals.)

(Slide 10) Rubber is an example of a good insulator. Critical thinking question: We know that insulators and conductors are opposites. Do you think rubber is a good or poor conductor? Why? (Answer: Since rubber is a good insulator, it must be a poor conductor because they are opposite properties.) When students answer correctly, click to reveal the "poor conductor" bullet.

(Slide 11) Is the photograph labeled correctly with which is the conductor and which is the insulator? (Answer: Yes, this picture is labeled correctly. Copper is a metal; most metals make good conductors. Current does not flow easily through rubber, which makes it a good insulator to wrap around the copper wire.)

(Slide 12) Next we'll discuss current, which is the flow of electricity/electrons. We often use water to understand electrical systems because of their similarities. For example, water can build up pressures, like in a dam, and flow like in a river. Electricity acts the same way.

Critical thinking question: What are some examples of how we use analogies to explain more complex scientific phenomena? Examples: Humans use stories like the Greek myths to explain seasons and sunrise/sunset. We often think of materials and animals as having human "personalities" and behaviors, like saying that conductors "direct" and move electrons.

(Slide 13) In water systems, current is the flow of water. In electrical systems, current is the flow of electrons. Refer to the drawings on this slide as you relate back to the water flow demo.

(Slide 14) Let's consider static charge. How can it be explained in our water system analogy? Dammed water collects (like in a dam), but cannot flow. Static charge, or static electricity, collects charge, but cannot flow. It may help to think of the mnemonic device of: "STATIc electricity is STATIonary"—it does not move. A situation when electrons are unable to move between atoms. Thus, charge collects in a similar way to how water collects behind a dam.

(Slide 15) While showing this slide, direct students to rub inflated balloons on the hair on their heads. Ask them: What makes your hair stand up? Objects may gain or lose electrons. Rubbing the balloon on hair causes more electrons to go onto the balloon from the hair. The hair loses electrons, thus becoming positively charged (net positive charge). The balloon becomes negatively charged (net negative charge). What does the term "net" mean? (Answer: "Net" means "total.")

(Slide16) Let's go through some review questions and answers. (Note: Click to reveal the answers.) Do you think electrical current flows more easily in conductors or insulators? (Answer: Electrical current flows more easily in conductors because electrons move better in conductors. Static electricity builds up more easily in insulators because electrons cannot move well in insulators.)

(Slide 17) What do we call the flow of charged particles? (Answer: Electricity.) Does it matter if the particles are positive or negative? (Answer: No, but typically electricity is the flow of electrons—negative charge.)

(Slide 18) We have shown that copper is a conductor. Name three more conductors. (Answers: Gold, silver and aluminum.) Where would an electrician use an insulator? What type of material would it be? Why would an electrician use an insulator? (Answer: Electricians use insulator material around electrical wires and the handles of tools and other equipment. Often, electricians use rubber as the material. Insulators protect electricians from electrical shock because current does not travel very well through insulators.)

(Slide 19) If you wanted to design an electrical system that stored static electricity, would you use a conductor or an insulator? Why? (Answer: To build a static electricity storage system, you would want to use an insulator, because insulators reduce electron flow.)

(If students have had exposure to analogies, which is part of the sixth-grade curriculum in many states, use the analogy question. If not, students may need assistance on how analogies work.) Finish the analogy: River IS TO water molecules AS wire is to ______. (Answer: Electrons.)

Watch this activity on YouTube

After completing the associated static electricity activity, have students recap the activity using scientific terms to explain what happened. Then re-emphasize the water analogy to cement the connection. Ask a few additional real-world application questions:

• Describe how engineers might control electricity in a television: What if they wanted more electricity? (Answer: Increase the current.)
• What if they wanted to protect themselves and you from electrocution? (Answer: Use an insulator.)

atom: The basic unit of all elements of matter.

conductor: A substance that allows the easy movement of electricity.

current: Something that flows, such as a stream of water, air or electrons, in a definite direction.

electricity: The presence or movement of electric charges. Electric charge occurs when a net difference in charged particles (such as proton or electrons) exists.

electron: A particle in an atom that has a negative charge, and acts as the primary carrier of electricity.

insulator: A substance that does not allow the easy movement of electricity.

proton: A particle located in the nucleus of an atom that has a positive electrical charge.

static electricity: A stationary electric charge buildup on an insulating material.

Pre-Lesson Assessment

Discussion : As presented in the Introduction/Motivation section, guide students to realize that the five sentences on the classroom board all involve electricity. Further, have students pick out which of the sentences involve engineers and electricity. Then, have students write their own scenarios involving electricity and engineers. It may be helpful to prompt that engineers think of, design, make and control ways to use electricity.

Post-Introduction Assessment

Critical Thinking Questions : As part of the What Is Electricity? Presentation , critical thinking questions and answers are included in the notes for slides 8, 10 and 12. They are also suitable as classroom board questions or handwritten quiz questions.

Review Questions: Test students' understanding of electricity basics by asking them the seven review questions at the end of the What Is Electricity? Presentation (slides 16-19). Click to reveal the answer after each question. Alternatively, similar questions are provided in the pre-activity Electricity Review Worksheet attachment in the associated activity.

Lesson Summary Assessment

Tiny Pen Pals : To test for understanding of electrical terms, give students the Particle Pen Pals Assignment , which asks them to use terms learned in the lesson in context to describe electricity through storytelling: Pretend you are an electron and you are writing a letter to your favorite proton telling him/her that you are moving away. In this creative writing exercise, students are asked to use at least four of the following terms provided in a word bank on the handout: electricity, atom, static electricity, proton, neutron, electron, conductor, insulator and current.

Lesson Extension Activities

Assign students to investigate and research different professions in electricity and/or involving knowledge of electrical systems, as outlined in the Electrical Careers Research Project Handout . Have students present their summary paragraphs to the rest of the class.

This lesson introduces the concept of electricity by asking students to imagine what their life would be like without electricity. Students learn that electrons can move between atoms, leaving atoms in a charged state.

Students come to understand static electricity by learning about the nature of electric charge, and different methods for charging objects. In a hands-on activity, students induce an electrical charge on various objects, and experiment with electrical repulsion and attraction.

Students gain an understanding of the difference between electrical conductors and insulators, and experience recognizing a conductor by its material properties. In a hands-on activity, students build a conductivity tester to determine whether different objects are conductors or insulators.

Students are introduced to the fundamental concepts of electricity. They address questions such as "How is electricity generated?" and "How is it used in every-day life?" Illustrative examples of circuit diagrams are used to help explain how electricity flows.

"Electricity." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc. Accessed August 11, 2014. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/182915/electricity

Headlam, Catherine (ed.). The Kingfisher Science Encyclopedia. New York, NY: Kingfisher Books, 1993.

Muir, Hazel. Science in Seconds:200 Key Concepts Explained in an Instant . New York, NY: Quercus, 2013.

Contributors

Supporting program, acknowledgements.

The contents of this digital library curriculum were developed by the Renewable Energy Systems Opportunity for Unified Research Collaboration and Education (RESOURCE) project in the College of Engineering under National Science Foundation GK-12 grant no. DGE 0948021. However, these contents do not necessarily represent the policies of the National Science Foundation, and you should not assume endorsement by the federal government.

Last modified: January 28, 2021

Home — Essay Samples — Science — Electricity — Ways Electricity Changed Our Lives

Ways Electricity Changed Our Lives

• Categories: Electricity Thomas Edison

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Published: Aug 31, 2023

Words: 680 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Table of contents

The dawn of the electric era, revolutionizing communication and connectivity, empowering industry and manufacturing, changing domestic life and household appliances, modern healthcare and medical advancements, transportation and mobility, sustainable energy and environmental impacts, economic and societal implications, conclusion: enlightening the modern world.

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electricity

Introduction.

How Electricity Works

Static Electricity

Generating Electricity

The ancient Greeks were the first to study electric forces. In the American colonies during the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin proved that lightning is a form of electricity. Scientists later learned that electricity is related to magnetism. They then learned how to generate electricity using magnets .

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electricity

Definition of electricity

Examples of electricity in a sentence.

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'electricity.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

1646, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing electricity

• static electricity

Dictionary Entries Near electricity

electric iron

electric lamp

Cite this Entry

“Electricity.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary , Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/electricity. Accessed 11 Jun. 2024.

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Kids definition of electricity, medical definition, medical definition of electricity, more from merriam-webster on electricity.

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Essay on Electricity

Introduction.

Imagine if we had to endure the unbearable heat during the summers or live in darkness during the night. We can’t think of a life without a fan or light, can we? But have you wondered what makes them work? Electricity is the beautiful phenomenon that is behind the running of various appliances today. We cannot underestimate the power of electricity in our lives, and this long essay on electricity will help your kids to be familiar with its uses and benefits.

Importance of Electricity

There is hardly anything that does not work on electricity. Whether we need to watch TV or run a grinder, electricity is an important component that makes them function. This long essay on electricity shows how electricity makes our lives easier and more comfortable. Earlier, if we relied on handmade fans to keep ourselves cool, we now have to simply tap on the switch to run our electric fans, pedestal fans or ceiling fans. Similarly, the old kerosene lamps are now replaced by modern lights and tubes that fill the whole place with light. In this manner, electricity has given us many comforts, and it is hard for us to imagine going back to living without it.

Nearly every aspect of human life has benefited from using electricity. Apart from simplifying our lives at home by inventing electrical appliances, electricity has enabled easy communication through the introduction of telephones and fax machines. Besides, its use is found in many industries and factories to run large machines. If electric trains took the place of steam engines in the transportation industry, new devices and instruments, like X-ray machines, scanning devices, ECG and such, have changed the way the medical industry operates. Thus, we can say that the unseen presence of electricity has filled our lives with hope and joy.

Ways to Save Electricity

We all know that we get electricity from coal and water. Coal and petroleum are non-renewable resources, and there is a limit to using them, as it would take enormous time to replenish these resources. Thus, it is important to use electricity productively. Give your children this free printable essay on electricity from BYJU’S so that they understand its significance.

In this save electricity essay, there are some effective tips to conserve energy. We often tend to switch on the lights even in broad daylight or use a fan when it is extremely cold. Such unnecessary use of electricity must be avoided as you can open your windows to let in light and wind. Limit the charging of your phones and laptops, and remember to unplug them after it is fully charged. Also, try to spend maximum time outdoors so that you can restrict the time of watching TV. Thus, by taking such simple measures, we can save electricity.

Found this essay interesting? You can access more essays similar to the essay on electricity, along with a range of kid-friendly learning resources, on BYJU’S website.

Frequently Asked Questions

Explain how electricity is produced..

Electricity is mainly produced from non-renewable sources, like coal and petroleum. But nowadays, electricity is also generated from wind, flowing water, sun and tides to make electricity cheap and easily available.

What are the uses of electricity?

Electricity is widely used in homes, industries and factories. Inventions like fans, lights and other electrical devices, like washing machines, refrigerators, televisions, computers and grinders, work on electricity.

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ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Hydroelectric energy.

Hydroelectric energy is a form of renewable energy that uses the power of moving water to generate electricity.

Earth Science, Geography, Physical Geography

Slovenian Hydroelectric Dam

Damed river in a valley marked with agricultural fields along the flood plains surrounded by rolling hills.

Photograph by spiderskidoo/Getty

Hydroelectric energy , also called hydroelectric power or hydroelectricity , is a form of energy that harnesses the power of water in motion—such as water flowing over a waterfall—to generate electricity. People have used this force for millennia. Over 2,000 years ago, people in Greece used flowing water to turn the wheel of their mill to ground wheat into flour.

How Does Hydroelectric Energy Work?

Most hydroelectric power plants have a reservoir of water, a gate or valve to control how much water flows out of the reservoir , and an outlet or place where the water ends up after flowing downward. Water gains potential energy just before it spills over the top of a dam or flows down a hill. The potential energy is converted into kinetic energy as water flows downhill. The water can be used to turn the blades of a turbine to generate electricity, which is distributed to the power plant’s customers.

Types of Hydroelectric Energy Plants

There are three different types of hydroelectric energy plants, the most common being an impoundment facility. In an impoundment facility, a dam is used to control the flow of water stored in a pool or reservoir . When more energy is needed, water is released from the dam. Once water is released, gravity takes over and the water flows downward through a turbine . As the blades of the turbine spin, they power a generator.

Another type of hydroelectric energy plant is a diversion facility. This type of plant is unique because it does not use a dam. Instead, it uses a series of canals to channel flowing river water toward the generator-powering turbines .

The third type of plant is called a pumped-storage facility. This plant collects the energy produced from solar, wind, and nuclear power and stores it for future use. The plant stores energy by pumping water uphill from a pool at a lower elevation to a reservoir located at a higher elevation. When there is high demand for electricity, water located in the higher pool is released. As this water flows back down to the lower reservoir, it turns a turbine to generate more electricity.

How Widely Is Hydroelectric Energy Used Around the World?

Hydroelectric energy is the most commonly-used renewable source of electricity. China is the largest producer of hydroelectricity. Other top producers of hydropower around the world include the United States, Brazil, Canada, India, and Russia. Approximately 71 percent of all of the renewable electricity generated on Earth is from hydropower.

What Is the Largest Hydroelectric Power Plant in the World?

The Three Gorges Dam in China, which holds back the Yangtze River, is the largest hydroelectric dam in the world, in terms of electricity production. The dam is 2,335 meters (7,660 feet) long and 185 meters (607 feet) tall, and has enough generators to produce 22,500 megawatts of power.

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Oil and Gas Companies Are Trying to Rig the Marketplace

By Andrew Dessler

Dr. Dessler is a professor of atmospheric sciences and the director of the Texas Center for Climate Studies at Texas A&M University.

Many of us focused on the problem of climate change have been waiting for the day when renewable energy would become cheaper than fossil fuels.

Well, we’re there: Solar and wind power are less expensive than oil, gas and coal in many places and are saving our economy billions of dollars . These and other renewable energy sources produced 30 percent of the world’s electricity in 2023, which may also have been the year that greenhouse gas emissions in the power sector peaked. In the United States alone, the amount of solar and wind energy capacity waiting to be built and connected to the grid is 18 times the amount of natural gas power capacity in the queue.

So you might reasonably conclude that the market is pivoting, and the end for fossil fuels is near.

But it’s not. Instead, fossil fuel interests — including think tanks, trade associations and dark money groups — are often preventing the market from shifting to the lowest cost energy.

Similar to other industries from tobacco to banking to pharmaceuticals, oil and gas interests use tactics like lobbying and manufacturing “grass-roots” support to maximize profits. They also spread misinformation: It’s well documented that fossil fuel interests tried to convince the public that their products didn’t cause climate change, in the same way that Big Tobacco tried to convince the public that its products didn’t harm people’s health.

But as renewables have become a more formidable competitor, we are now seeing something different: a large-scale effort to deceive the public into thinking that the alternative products are harmful, unreliable and worse for consumers. And as renewables continue to drop in cost, it will become even more critical for policymakers and others to challenge these attempts to slow the adoption of cheaper and healthier forms of energy.

One technique the industry and its allies have used is to spread falsehoods — for example, that offshore wind turbines kill whales or that renewable energy is prohibitively expensive — to stop projects from getting built. What appear to be ordinary concerned citizens or groups making good-faith arguments about renewable energy are actually a well-funded effort to disseminate a lie. Researchers at Brown University have revealed a complex web of fossil fuel interests, climate-denial think tanks and community groups that are behind opposition to wind farms off New Jersey, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

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MIT Technology Review

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How thermal batteries are heating up energy storage

The systems, which can store clean energy as heat, were chosen by readers as the 11th Breakthrough Technology of 2024.

• Casey Crownhart archive page

We need heat to make everything from steel bars to ketchup packets. Today, a whopping 20% of global energy demand goes to producing heat used in industry, and most of that heat is generated by burning fossil fuels. In an effort to clean up industry, a growing number of companies are working to supply that heat with a technology called thermal batteries.

It’s such an exciting idea that MIT Technology Review readers have officially selected thermal batteries as the reader’s choice addition to our 2024 list of 10 Breakthrough Technologies. So here’s a closer look at what all the excitement is about.

Storing energy as heat isn’t a new idea—steelmakers have been capturing waste heat and using it to reduce fuel demand for nearly 200 years. But a changing grid and advancing technology have ratcheted up interest in the field. “This is a hot area,” says Jeffrey Rissman , senior director of industry at Energy Innovation, an energy and climate policy and research firm.

Renewable energy sources like wind and solar have seen prices fall dramatically in the past decade. However, these power sources are inconsistent, subject to daily and seasonal patterns. So with the rise in cheap renewable energy has come a parallel push to find ways to store it for applications that require a consistent power source.

Thermal energy storage could connect cheap but intermittent renewable electricity with heat-hungry industrial processes. These systems can transform electricity into heat and then, like typical batteries, store the energy and dispatch it as needed.

Rondo Energy is one of the companies working to produce and deploy thermal batteries. The company’s heat storage system relies on a resistance heater, which transforms electricity into heat using the same method as a space heater or toaster—but on a larger scale, and reaching a much higher temperature. That heat is then used to warm up carefully engineered and arranged stacks of bricks, which store the heat for later use. Air blown over the hot bricks can then be used to generate steam, or delivered directly to heat up equipment. 

By using common materials and designing equipment that can work with existing facilities, Rondo is working to show that its technology can integrate into a sector where cost is key. “We’re proving this is economical right now,” says John O’Donnell, the company’s CEO.

Rondo has been running its first commercial pilot at an ethanol plant in California since March 2023. The company is also scaling up, manufacturing equipment in a factory in Thailand that it’s already announced plans to expand .

A recently announced project with the beverage company Diageo will see Rondo’s heat batteries installed in a Kentucky whiskey distillery where Bulleit bourbon is made, along with one of Diageo’s other facilities. In March, the project got a boost from the US Department of Energy, which selected it to receive $75 million in funding as part of a larger push to clean up industrial emissions. 

Rondo is far from the only contender in the thermal battery space, which now includes companies using everything from molten salt and metal to crushed-up rocks to store heat.

Electrified Thermal Solutions is building thermal batteries that use thermally conductive bricks as both a heating element and a storage medium. Running an electrical current through the bricks generates heat, without the need for any separate component. Antora Energy similarly uses its carbon-based blocks to both generate and store heat. The company is also aiming to turn that heat back into electricity using thermophotovoltaic technology. 

While many companies want to install their storage solutions in industrial facilities, delivering heat, electricity, or both, some are aiming to offer grid-based energy storage to utilities. Malta , which spun out from X (formerly Google X) in 2018, is building technology that will take in electricity, store the energy as heat in a molten-salt system, and then re-generate electricity for use on the grid. 

Brenmiller Energy is among the most experienced players in thermal energy storage. The company, founded in 2011, makes modular systems that use crushed rocks to store heat. Its technology is currently operating at several facilities, including a beverage maker and a hospital.

To make a dent in industrial emissions, companies building thermal energy storage systems need to scale quickly. They’ll also need to convince customers to sign on for a new method of generating heat, a potentially difficult task in industries that can be conservative, says Doron Brenmiller, the company’s chief business officer.With industrial heat demand expected to continue growing this decade, there’s an urgent need to find cleaner options. Thermal batteries could be a key strategy for keeping factories running as efforts to cut their emissions warm up.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misstated the location of Rondo Energy's factory. It is located in Thailand .

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New Definition Will Help Nation Achieve President Biden’s Clean Energy and Climate Goals While Lowering Energy Costs, Cutting Air Pollution, and Creating Good-Paying Jobs

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today announced a National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building to advance public and private sector efforts to decarbonize the buildings sector, which is responsible for more than one-third of total U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. The definition is intended to provide industry guidance to support new and existing commercial and residential buildings to move towards zero emissions across the entire sector and help the nation achieve President Biden’s ambitious climate goals, while cutting home and business energy costs. A standardized definition for zero emissions buildings will help advance next-generation clean energy solutions, drive innovation, and tackle the climate crisis, while supporting workforce development. 

“The National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building will support the sector as it advances innovative solutions essential to creating resilient communities and high-quality jobs,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “With today’s announcement, DOE is helping bring clarity to our public and private sector partners to support decarbonization efforts and drive investment—paving the way for the cutting-edge clean energy technologies we need to make America’s buildings more comfortable and affordable.” 

There are nearly 130 million existing buildings in the United States, which collectively cost over $400 billion a year to heat, cool, light, and power, with 40 million new homes and 60 billion square feet of commercial floorspace expected to be constructed between now and 2050. One in four American households—and 50% of low-income households—struggle to pay their energy bills. Establishing a consistent definition for a zero-emissions building will accelerate climate progress, while lowering home and business energy bills. Additionally, the zero emissions definition provides market certainty and clarity to scale zero emissions new construction and retrofits.  

Earlier this year, DOE laid out a  blueprint to reduce U.S. building emissions 65% by 2035 and 90% by 2050. Major technical advances in energy efficiency, heat pumps, and clean energy mean that new and existing buildings can help the nation achieve zero emissions, while ensuring domestic manufacturing of the technologies and low embodied carbon materials needed for these next-generation buildings. Additionally, the buildings sector can plug into a grid that is rapidly becoming cleaner and help to improve climate resiliency. Buildings can be constructed and retrofitted to use a fraction of the energy they once used. 

National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building: Part 1 Operational Emissions from Energy Use Part 1 of the Definition sets criteria for determining that a building generates zero emissions from energy use in building operations. By the definition, at a minimum, a zero emissions building must be energy efficient, free of onsite emissions from energy use, and powered solely from clean energy. Future parts of this definition may address emissions from embodied carbon (producing, transporting, installing, and disposing of building materials) and additional considerations. 

In developing Part 1 of the Definition, DOE published a request for information (RFI) that solicited input from members of the public, in response to which industry, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders provided feedback. Implementation guidance included with the Definition provides additional information on these criteria. The Definition is not a regulatory standard or a certification. It is guidance that public and private entities may adopt to determine whether a building has zero emissions from operational energy use.  The definition is not a substitute for the green building and energy efficiency standards and certifications that public and private parties have developed. 

Additionally, alongside today’s announcement: 

• Eight major green building certification programs in the U.S. announced that they will embed or align or exceed the zero emissions definition within their certification. Many certifications go even further to demonstrate climate leadership by exceeding the criteria of the definition.
• In December 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order 14057 on Federal Sustainability and issued his Federal Sustainability Plan , which calls on agencies to achieve a federal net-zero emissions building portfolio by 2045. As part of today’s effort, the Federal Government will use the National Definition in leasing net-zero emissions buildings, which will become the standard for Federal leases beginning in 2030.  

Today’s announcement builds on Biden-Harris Administration actions to cut energy costs, create good-paying jobs, and bolster energy efficiency:

• Through the Better Climate Challenge , many of the largest real estate portfolio owners in the US have committed to reduce portfolio-wide greenhouse gas emissions (scope 1 and 2) by at least 50% within 10 years.
• DOE’s Zero Energy Ready Homes program and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR NextGen™ can be used as steppingstones to show progress to zero emissions.
• At COP28 in Dubai, the U.S. joined with UN’s Buildings Breakthrough. The National Definition for a Zero Emissions Building aligns with the UN’s Buildings Breakthrough, which endorses the statement, “Near-zero emission and resilient buildings are the new normal by 2030.”  

Other complementary efforts include DOE's Affordable Home Energy Shot ™ and the Clean Energy for New Federal Buildings and Major Renovations of Federal Buildings Rule . 

Through the Affordable Home Energy Shot, DOE aims to reduce the upfront cost of upgrading a home by at least 50% while reducing energy bills by 20% within a decade. Providing affordable, scalable solutions that can upgrade buildings of all types is essential to achieving this goal. This initiative will help address the persistent burdens faced by low-income households and communities of color. 

Through the Clean Energy for Federal Buildings and Major Renovations of Federal Buildings Rule, federal buildings will reduce pollution, improve air quality, create good-paying jobs, and take advantage of cost savings from using more energy-efficient equipment. These measures will help advance the adoption of cleaner, more efficient technologies critical to achieving President Biden’s Federal Sustainability Plan goal of net-zero emissions from all federal buildings by 2045. 

The full National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building Part 1 is available in National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building Part 1: Operational Emissions from Energy Use (Version 1) . 

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hydroelectric power

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• National Geographic - Hydroelectric Energy: The Power of Running Water
• Energy Education - Hydropower
• Energy.gov - Hydropower Basics
• U.S. Energy Information Administration - Hydropower explained

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hydroelectric power , electricity produced from generators driven by turbines that convert the potential energy of falling or fast-flowing water into mechanical energy . In the early 21st century, hydroelectric power was the most widely utilized form of renewable energy ; in 2019 it accounted for more than 18 percent of the world’s total power generation capacity.

• Geothermal power
• Hydroelectric power
• Solar power
• Tidal power

In the generation of hydroelectric power, water is collected or stored at a higher elevation and led downward through large pipes or tunnels (penstocks) to a lower elevation; the difference in these two elevations is known as the head . At the end of its passage down the pipes, the falling water causes turbines to rotate. The turbines in turn drive generators , which convert the turbines’ mechanical energy into electricity. Transformers are then used to convert the alternating voltage suitable for the generators to a higher voltage suitable for long-distance transmission. The structure that houses the turbines and generators, and into which the pipes or penstocks feed, is called the powerhouse.

Hydroelectric power plants are usually located in dams that impound rivers , thereby raising the level of the water behind the dam and creating as high a head as is feasible . The potential power that can be derived from a volume of water is directly proportional to the working head, so that a high-head installation requires a smaller volume of water than a low-head installation to produce an equal amount of power. In some dams, the powerhouse is constructed on one flank of the dam, part of the dam being used as a spillway over which excess water is discharged in times of flood. Where the river flows in a narrow steep gorge, the powerhouse may be located within the dam itself.

In most communities the demand for electric power varies considerably at different times of the day. To even the load on the generators, pumped-storage hydroelectric stations are occasionally built. During off-peak periods, some of the extra power available is supplied to the generator operating as a motor, driving the turbine to pump water into an elevated reservoir . Then, during periods of peak demand, the water is allowed to flow down again through the turbine to generate electrical energy . Pumped-storage systems are efficient and provide an economical way to meet peak loads.

In certain coastal areas, such as the Rance River estuary in Brittany , France , hydroelectric power plants have been constructed to take advantage of the rise and fall of tides . When the tide comes in, water is impounded in one or more reservoirs . At low tide, the water in these reservoirs is released to drive hydraulic turbines and their coupled electric generators ( see tidal power ).

Falling water is one of the three principal sources of energy used to generate electric power, the other two being fossil fuels and nuclear fuels . Hydroelectric power has certain advantages over these other sources. It is continually renewable owing to the recurring nature of the hydrologic cycle . It does not produce thermal pollution . (However, some dams can produce methane from the decomposition of vegetation under water.) Hydroelectric power is a preferred energy source in areas with heavy rainfall and with hilly or mountainous regions that are in reasonably close proximity to the main load centers. Some large hydro sites that are remote from load centers may be sufficiently attractive to justify the long high-voltage transmission lines. Small local hydro sites may also be economical, particularly if they combine storage of water during light loads with electricity production during peaks. Many of the negative environmental impacts of hydroelectric power come from the associated dams, which can interrupt the migrations of spawning fish , such as salmon , and permanently submerge or displace ecological and human communities as the reservoirs fill. In addition, hydroelectric dams are vulnerable to water scarcity . In August 2021 Oroville Dam , one of the largest hydroelectric power plants in California, was forced to shut down due to historic drought conditions in the region.

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US Department of Energy Publishes Definition of Zero-emissions Building

June 11, 2024 | Washington, D.C.

On June 6, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) released a National Definition of a Zero Emissions Building . According to this definition, to qualify as a zero-emissions building, or “ZEB,” a structure must achieve zero operational emissions from energy use in accordance with the following criteria:

• Energy efficiency. The building is among the most efficient.
• Free of on-site emissions from energy use. The building’s direct greenhouse gas emissions from energy use equal zero.
• Powered solely by clean energy. All the energy used by the building, both on-site and off-site, is from clean energy sources.

DOE and the White House held several listening sessions with the public before issuing the ZEB definition, which DOE states is not meant as a regulatory standard or certification. Instead, DOE characterized the definition as guidance that public and private entities may adopt to determine whether a building has zero emissions from operational energy use. It applies to existing buildings and new construction of commercial and residential structures. Operational emissions are based on the whole building’s energy use, including emissions from tenants. Carbon offsets are not permitted under the DOE’s ZEB definition.