We explain what electricity is and what is the origin of this physical phenomenon. Also, its importance and its characteristics.
What is electricity?
Electricity includes a set of physical phenomena linked to the presence and transmission of electrical charges. There are several basic concepts that are closely related to electricity:
- Electric charge All known matter is made up of atoms that have an equal number of electrons (with a negative electrical charge) and protons (with a positive electrical charge). Atoms and molecules can become electrically charged and this influences the way they attract or repel each other and the configuration of the matter they make up.
- Electric current Electrically charged particles, usually electrons, can flow through a conductive material, such as a wire. This transmission of electrical charges is what is called electric current.
- electric fields Electric fields produce work, measured in volts, on the moving particles immersed in them. The electric potential at a point in space is the work that must be done per unit charge to move this charge through an electric field from a reference point to the point considered.
- Electric potential Electric fields can do different jobs, measured in volts. This is called electrical potential.
- Magnetism Electric charges in motion generate magnetic fields, affecting (attracting or repelling) the magnetic materials and the moving charges found in them and being able, under certain conditions, to generate an electric current themselves.
electricity represents for humanity an endless number of known applications.
The electrical properties of known materials depend on the configuration of the electrons of their atoms. Graphene, silver and copper are to date the most powerful conductors of electrical energy available, while other materials such as glass, lucite or mica are great insulators.
Although electricity has been known since ancient times, especially since the discovery of amber, a material that can be electrically charged, Its formal study began in the 17th and 18th centuries and only at the end of the 19th century could it be used industrially and domestically.
Origin of electricity
Electricity has always been present in the world. Primitive man was able to perceive it through visible phenomena such as lightning or experience it through electric fish like the Thunderers of the Nile River, described by the ancient Egyptians.
Static electricity (arising, for example, from rubbing a bar of amber with wool or fur) was discovered by the ancient Greeks around 600 BC. c.
The first serious experiments with electricity took place around the 17th century. The field grew with the studies and contributions of Cavendish, Du Fray, van Musschenbroek and Watson during the 18th century, and during the 19th century a unifying theory of electricity and magnetism was developed: Maxwell's equations in 1865.
The generation of electricity as an industrial activity began almost in the 20th century, after Morse demonstrated in 1833 how electricity could revolutionize the field of remote communications and that the possibility of generating light through an electrical line was verified, replacing the gas line.
Finally, the research of Tesla and Edison promoted electricity as a basic requirement of scientific and technological innovation within the framework of the Second Industrial Revolution.
Importance of electricity
Electricity is a versatile and transformative source, capable of being used in different ways:
- Generate light Lamps and bulbs make it possible to take advantage of the electrical flow in a vacuum to radiate light, illuminating different environments and extending daytime life beyond sunset.
- Generate heat The Joule effect describes how the passage of electrons through a conductor generates heat energy, which can be used by resistances for heating, welding or even cooking.
- Generate movement Various types of devices are activated by electricity to generate movement, such as motors and rotors, which convert electrical energy into mechanical energy. On the other hand, electrical energy can be stored, for example, through cells or batteries, and used when required to generate movement, for example.
- Transmit data Through electronic systems, electrical circuits or wiring networks, electricity makes it possible to activate components of diverse nature over enormous distances.
Electricity characteristics
Electricity consists of transmission of electrons from the last shell of the atoms (the furthest one) to that of a next atom flowing along the conductive matter and altering certain properties of it along the way.
On the other hand, electricity is cumulative for which cells or batteries (accumulators) were invented, capable of absorbing electrical current and storing it in its chemical content, to be recovered later.
Electric current
The electric current is the movement of electric charges through a conductor. These charges are electrons, subatomic particles that orbit the atomic nucleus.
Electrical currents are not harmless to the human body, which can withstand currents of around 16 amperes. That is, electricity can be dangerous. Brief, moderate contact with a source of electricity can numb or numb muscles, while more serious contact can cause burns or even death.
Thanks to the studies of Nikola Tesla, two forms of electric current are known: direct current and alternating current (which varies cyclically in its magnitude and direction).
