What is Electricity?

Question

Explain what you think electricity is, how it behaves, and how it does what it does.

Answer 1

Electricity is generated by electrons.  An easy way to think of electricity is to think of electrons like racers running around a track. These racers are supposed to keep running as long as the track is a complete circle. If the circle is broken, then the racers stop running once they reach the broken part of the circle.

 

Think of a circuit: a switch, a light bulb, a power source and some wires between them.  What happens if you break the path by flipping the switch, or loosening a wire?  Does the light bulb stay on?

 

Now one thing to remember, electricity is energy, and energy can only change from one form into another.  This happens when there is a resistance.

 

If you're having trouble with these physics, I recommend you try playing this game online:https://archive.org/details/msdos_Super_Solvers_Gizmos_and_Gadgets_1993

 

It can show you some of the ideas related to physics.