what is electricity

1 year ago 52
Nature

Electricity is a set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter that has a property of electric charge. It is related to magnetism, and both are part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism. Here are some key points about electricity:

  • Flow of Charge: The definition of electricity is the flow of charge. Usually, charges are carried by free-flowing electrons, which are negatively charged.

  • Atoms and Electrons: To understand electricity, some basic information about atoms is helpful. Everything in the universe is made of atoms, and electrons are the negatively charged particles that orbit the nucleus of an atom. Sometimes, electrons in an atoms outermost shells do not have a strong force of attraction to the protons, and these electrons can be pushed out of their orbits. Applying a force can make them shift from one atom to another, and these shifting electrons are electricity.

  • Versatility: Electricitys versatility means it can be put to an almost limitless set of applications, including transport, heating, lighting, communications, and computation. Electrical power is now the backbone of modern industrial society.

  • Sources: The electricity that we use is a secondary energy source because it is produced by converting primary sources of energy such as coal, natural gas, nuclear energy, solar energy, and wind energy into electrical power.

Overall, electricity is a fundamental part of our lives and is used in many different ways.