What is electricity?

 

How do we use electricity?

Everything is made up of tiny particles. These particles may have positive or negative charges. Electricity is the presence or flow of these charged particles.

All materials contain negatively-charged particles called electrons. In metals, electrons can move freely, so metals can carry electricity. This is called being a conductor. If there is a complete circuit a battery can push electrons all around the circuit. This is an electric current. We use electric currents to control and operate devices, including phones, computers and light bulbs.

 

Some materials do not let electrons move through them – they are insulators. Most things that are not metals, like plastic, wood and rubber, are insulators.

Think about rubbing a balloon on your jumper. The balloon and jumper are both insulators, but they are made of different materials. When you rub them, electrons go from the jumper to the balloon, so the balloon gets negative charge. This is called static electricity. If you touch the balloon, you might get an electric shock, because the charge goes through you to the ground.

 

⚡ Knowledge Check: What is Electricity?

Test your understanding of electric current, charge, and how we measure electricity in a circuit.

1. What is the scientific definition of electric current?

• The speed of the battery
• The flow of electric charge (electrons)
• The chemical reaction inside a bulb

2. In what unit do we measure the flow of electricity?

• Amperes (Amps)
• Volts
• Newtons

3. How must an ammeter be connected to a component to correctly measure current?

• It must be connected in parallel
• It must be connected in series
• It should not be connected to the circuit at all

4. What provides the 'push' to make electrons move around an electrical circuit?

• An ammeter
• An energy source, such as a battery or cell
• The metal wire itself

5. Why are metals able to conduct electricity?

• They have free electrons that are able to move
• They contain chemical reactions that push charge
• They act as an unbroken path to stop current flow

Click to Reveal Answers

1. The flow of electric charge (This involves the movement of electrons through a conductor).
2. Amperes (Amps) (Represented by the symbol A).
3. In series (This allows the ammeter to measure the flow of electrons through itself).
4. An energy source (Chemicals in the battery react to push the charges).
5. Free electrons (These charges are not fixed in place and can flow to cause an electric current).

 

Summary:

 

• Electricity happens when charged particles are there or move.
• A circuit has an electric current when electrons go around it.
• Static electricity is the build-up of electrons on an insulator.