Electricity; Introduction And Types

Electronic devices are powered by electricity, they requires electricity to perform their specified tasks. All our gadgets are powered with electricity, including our smartphones, laptops, power, blenders, washing machine and air conditioners. We use it to transport, talk, cook, light, burn, entertain, work and even for manufacturing. 

Electricity is by far the most important form of energy which we can say it is very important in the development of a society. Electricity is a form of energy that powers  most of our industrial and home machineries, in the early centuries mechanical energy is  a crucial source of power. Crude oil, coke, wood and petroleum are burnt to power steam engines which is use to drive trains and grinding Mills. 

But through advancing technology modern cars are powered with electricity.

Where do electricity comes from?

Most of us have been wondering where actually do electricity comes from.  Simply electricity originates from electrons which is a sub particle of an atom. Atoms are tiny discrete and smallest particle of an element that can exist alone by itself. Atoms consists of protons, neutrons and electrons only, proton has a positive charge, neutron is neutral and electron negatively charged.  In an atom, protons are fused together with neutron and located at it center as shown above. 

Electrons revolves around the fused neutron-proton(nucleus) each in a specific orbit according to it energy level. 

Electrons at the last orbit farthest from the nucleus has little energy and can be easily dislodged by forces like photons, magnetic field and chemical reaction. When the electron is dislodged by a force from  atoms of a metal, it flows to form electricity. Conclusion, it can be seen that electrons moves in a circuit when dislodged from it atom to form electricity.             

Types of electricity.

 

There are different forms of electricity depending on the state of motion or rest, the major types are  Static electricity and current electricity. 

1. Static electricity.

in this type of electricity, the dislodged electrons are not moving,they only stay at the source where they are produced i.e static. For example, in the sky when cold air(positively charged) and hot air(ionised by ultraviolet rays) from the sun (negatively charged) moves over each other, they neutralize each other, accompanied by lightning and thunder.  Static electricity is usually produced when two different substances moves against each other like the example given above, here are common ways it is produced. By induction Friction And by contact. 

2. Current electricity.

This is the most used form of electricity, it is necessarily use to power both home and industrial devices. It is accompanied from electrons flowing from it source in a circuit, then to it source again. It is usually manipulated by electronic components to do a specified task.  Current electricity can be generated from many source most conventional are listed below. Batteries Dynamos Biocells  And thermocouple. Furthermore, current electricity is classified into two based on it direction or polarity of current flow. 

1. Direct current (DC) 
2. Alternating current (AC).

 

•Direct Current.

This type of current flows in circuits with constant polarity i.e having a fixed positive and negative polarity. It is used mostly by portable electronics because it can be stored easily in batteries and super capacitors.

 

•Alternating current.

It has fluntacting polarity, it polarity changes from + to - then - to + with high speed.  It is used by high power machineries, industrial robots and high precision machines. Alternating current is use for generating electromagnetic fields for telecommunication and radio waves.