2. Static Electricity and Current Electricity
There are two types of electricity: static electricity and current electricity. In static electricity, an electric charge builds up and then can move rapidly from one location to another in a static discharge. If you have ever walked across a rug on a dry day and felt a small shock when you touched a doorknob, then you have experienced a static discharge.
The video below explains how this happens, and why.
It's all on the electrons, yo!
The video below explains how this happens, and why.
It's all on the electrons, yo!
A more spectacular form of static electricity is lightning. It's like a giant rug and doorknob effect!
Watch below for an amazing compilation of lightning strikes.
Watch below for an amazing compilation of lightning strikes.
Current electricity is quite different. This is electricity that has been controlled or trained by human means.
In this case, the electric charge moves through a wire or another material that conducts electricity. This material is called a conductor.
When you turn on the lights or the TV, you use current electricity.
When you use a battery-operated gadget, you also use current electricity that comes from the battery rather than from the wall socket.
Below, you can see how batteries work.
In this case, the electric charge moves through a wire or another material that conducts electricity. This material is called a conductor.
When you turn on the lights or the TV, you use current electricity.
When you use a battery-operated gadget, you also use current electricity that comes from the battery rather than from the wall socket.
Below, you can see how batteries work.
On our experiments, we created circuits with batteries and watched them turn on lights as well as disturb the orientation of the compass.
However, how does a circuit work, exactly?
An electric circuit is a continuous path for electricity to flow through. The electricity in this type of circuit flows in one direction (known as direct current, or DC) in a continuous loop from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the battery.
Electrical current is simply the movement of electrons in a conductor. The energy from the battery provides the power (voltage) to cause the electrons to flow from one end of the dry cell (the power source) to the other.
Did you know? Batteries are referred to as dry cells because the energy source inside the battery is in a paste.
Basic components of a simple circuit:
However, how does a circuit work, exactly?
An electric circuit is a continuous path for electricity to flow through. The electricity in this type of circuit flows in one direction (known as direct current, or DC) in a continuous loop from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of the battery.
Electrical current is simply the movement of electrons in a conductor. The energy from the battery provides the power (voltage) to cause the electrons to flow from one end of the dry cell (the power source) to the other.
Did you know? Batteries are referred to as dry cells because the energy source inside the battery is in a paste.
Basic components of a simple circuit:
- Load - the part of the circuit that uses the electricity. In our experiments, the load was the light bulb. Other examples include a toaster, a fan or the dishwasher.
- Power source - where the energy comes from. We used batteries for our experiment.
- Conducting material - often copper wire that connects the battery to the load and back again to the battery. For electricity to flow around a circuit, the circuit needs to be complete (or closed) without any breaks in it.
