Essay About Electricity

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Electricity has become an essential part of contemporary life, energizing lights, appliances, heat, air conditioning, televisions, telephones, computers, and many other modern conveniences.Electricity arrives at your house from your local utility company by a power line or underground though a conduit.The main panel is usually right next to or under the meter. This is the central distribution point for the electrical circuits that run to lights, receptacles, and appliances throughout the house. A circuit, by definition, is a circular journey that begins and ends at the same place, and this is essentially how electricity works. Current begins at a power source, powers the appliance or device along the circuit, and then returns to the power …show more content…

But aside from knowing that Ben Franklin discovered that lightning is made up of electricity, few people really understand what it is“When people have a basic understanding of how electricity works, it’s easier for them to recognize the steps they can take to reduce the potential dangers,” says Rick Coons, CEO at Indiana Electric Cooperatives.To understand electricity, you need to know some very basic science. Everything around us is made up of atoms, which are particles that are so small that they can’t be seen. Every atom is actually a group of even smaller particles, and one of those particles is called the electron. When electrons move from one location to another, their movement creates the energy that we call electricity.Use Ben Franklin’s discovery as an example. During a storm, the clouds are filled with extra electrons. When a group of them finds a path from the cloud to the ground, the energy from their movement is seen as a bright flash that we call lightning. Getting a spark from a doorknob after walking on a carpeted floor is a much smaller example of the same process. The friction of walking across the carpet creates extra electrons in your body, and when they jump to the doorknob, you see and feel the spark caused by their movement.So how can these little electrons actually hurt people or damage property? “The more electrons that move, the

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