Electricity is the flow of electrical power or charge. It is both a basic part of nature and one of our most widely used forms of energy. The word ‘electric’ is derived from the word ‘electron’ which refers to the particles or ‘electrons’ that flows from a negative terminal to a positive terminal through a conductor to create electric current. Electricity is actually a secondary energy source that can be derived from coal, water, wind, the sun or nuclear energy and other sources such as batteries that are commonly used throughout these science experiments. Electricity is also a natural occurring phenomenon that is present in forms of static electricity such as lightning. Before man-made electricity became available over 100 years ago, kerosene lamps were used as a source of light and houses were warmed by wood or coal burning stoves.
But wait, this section is called electricity and magnetism! So what does magnetism have to do with electricity? This is because Electricity shares a unique relationship with Magnetism. One of the four fundamental forces in the universe is ‘electromagnetic force’. Basically, you can’t have electricity without magnetism and vice versa. This does not mean that electricity and magnetism are exactly the same, but they are intertwined in a most intimate way. In fact, magnetism and electricity are so closely related that each one causes the other!
Magnetism in its broad sense is the ability of a magnet to attract magnetic materials, but many similarities exist between magnetism and electricity. A magnet has two opposite poles, referred to as north and south poles whereas electricity has two terminals called a negative and a positive terminal. Opposite magnetic poles attract each other, and similar magnetic poles repel each other, exactly as what happens with electric charges. Electricity produces magnetic effects and magnetism produces electric effects. The relationship between electricity and magnetism is called electromagnetism.
Electricity & Magnetism is one of the major branches or sections of scientific study. Science can be real simple and is actually only about understanding the world you live in. However, no one scientist can study every aspect of this world we live in and the many different areas of science that exists can make it all a bit overwhelming if it is not grouped into related categories. Categories, such as electricity & magnetism, allow scientists to focus on a set of similar topics and interact with others who are interested in the same questions and can make science much easier to understand.
Electricity & magnetism can be separated into various sub-branches such as: Static electricity & Electrical current to Resistance & Magnetism amongst others. Each sub-branch in turn may contain even more specific fields of study. Electricity and magnetism has been the focus of research and study throughout history and despite its huge importance in our daily lives; we hardly ever stop to think what life would be like without electricity. Even though we take electricity for granted, it is used to enhance our lives in many areas from lighting, heating, and cooling our homes to powering our televisions, computers and many other appliances we depend on everyday!
Article by: www.experiland.com (Article may be used freely, but must include a link pointing to www.experiland.com)