What is Electricity

1. What is Electricity Chapter 15 Lesson 1

2. Electricity Everything in the world is made up of atoms. Each atom has smaller parts in it. One of those parts is called electrons. Electrons can move from atom to atom. When an electron moves to a different atom, it causes another electron to have to move. When electrons move quickly from one atom to another it is called Electricity!

3. Inside an atom, electrons have a negative charge and protons have a positive charge. These particles attract each other. A charge is a measure of the extra positive or negative particles that an object has.

4. Static Electricity Static electricity is the charge that stays on an object. Unlike charges attract each other, and like charges repel each other.

5. Current electricity : is the steady “constant” flow of charges through certain materials “such as copper wires”. A current will move along a wire or a path called a circuit. Current electricity is more useful than static electricity. A power cell produces a flow of charges. The plant then sends the current along wires to homes and businesses, where people can use it to provide light and heat and to run machines.

6. Electrical circuit: is the path that an electric current follows. Charges flow around a circuit without starting or stopping. For any electrical machine to work, the circuit must be complete “closed”.

7. How do you think turning the key in a car starts the car’s engine? What happens when a driver presses on the steering wheel to honk the horn of a car? How does a battery work?

9. Lights in our homes are wired in parallel circuits.

10. Parallel circuit • Series circuit

11. Electrical conductor: A conductor is a material that let electric charges “current” travel through them. Examples: Most metals, like copper.

12. Insulator An insulator is a material that doesn’t let current travel through easily. Examples: plastic and rubber.

13. Switches Switch is a device that opens or closes a circuit.