By: Yeeyao Wong

What is electricity? You might think that it is something that powers computers, phones, and your TV where you watch your favorite channels. But there’s much, much more to electricity than just that.

Electricity is stored in batteries. You might think the actual electricity is in the battery. That’s partly correct. The electricity is not in the battery, but it is made when chemicals in the battery mix and the electrons jump in the wires, creating electricity.

Electricity is transported through wires. You might think the electricity can pass through the metal in the wires only. But it can pass through pencil lead, gold, silver, and even air! It’s hard for electricity to pass through the air because there aren’t enough atoms in the air to transport the electricity well. The space in between the atoms makes it hard for the electrons to jump from atom to atom.

How does electricity light up a lightbulb? You might think the electrons move so fast that it creates light. But that’s not correct. The electricity goes through the wires and heats up, creating photons, which release light, making the light you see.

Why are there two sides on a battery? You might think that the lightbulb (or whatever you are using) needs twice the electricity on one side to work. That’s not correct. There are two sides to the battery because we need to push electrons from the negative side (the one with a ‘- ‘) to the positive side (the one with a ‘+’), with energy that’s stored in the battery.

How does electricity make a computer work? You might think that the electricity goes through the board and lights up the screen. That’s partially correct. The electricity goes through a silicon board holding all sorts of stuff to make the pulses stronger, weaker, and change color. You can learn more on google.com.

If you liked this article, and you like electricity, you should learn more about it at: https://www.brighthubeducation.com.