2. What is
electricity?Electricity (from the New Latin Älectricus, "amber-like") is
a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena
resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge.
These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such
as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less
familiar concepts, such as the electromagnetic field and
electromagnetic induction.
"a fundamental entity of nature consisting of negative and
positive kinds."
3. History of Electricityā¦ā¦.ā„
Long before any knowledge of electricity existed people were aware of shocks from
electric fish. Ancient Egyptian texts dating from 2750 BC referred to these fish as the
"Thunderer of the Nile", and described them as the "protectors" of all other fish. They
were again reported millennia later by ancient Greek, Roman and Arabic naturalists and
physicians. Several ancient writers, such as Pliny the Elder and Scribonius Largus,
attested to the numbing effect of electric shocks delivered by catfish and torpedo rays,
and knew that such shocks could travel along conducting objects. Patients suffering from
ailments such as gout or headache were directed to touch electric fish in the hope that
the powerful jolt might cure them. Possibly the earliest and nearest approach to the
discovery of the identity of lightning, and electricity from any other source, is to be
attributed to the Arabs, who before the 15th century had the Arabic word for lightning
(raad) applied to the electric ray.
That certain objects such as rods of amber could be rubbed with cat's fur and attract light
objects like feathers was known to ancient cultures around the Mediterranean. Thales of
Miletos made a series of observations on static electricity around 600 BC, from which he
believed that friction rendered amber magnetic, in contrast to minerals such as magnetite
, which needed no rubbing. Thales was incorrect in believing the attraction was due to a
magnetic effect, but later science would prove a link between magnetism and electricity.
According to a controversial theory, the Parthians may have had knowledge of
electroplating, based on the 1936 discovery of the Baghdad Battery, which resembles a
galvanic cell, though it is uncertain whether the artifact was electrical in nature.
4. Benjamin Franklin conducted extensive research on
electricity in the 18th century
Electricity would remain little more than an intellectual
curiosity for millennia until 1600, when the English physician
William Gilbert made a careful study of electricity and
magnetism, distinguishing the lodestone effect from static
electricity produced by rubbing amber. He coined the
New Latin word electricus ("of amber" or "like amber", from
Ī®Ī»ĪµĪŗĻĻĪæĪ½ [elektron], the Greek word for "amber") to refer to
the property of attracting small objects after being rubbed.
This association gave rise to the English words "electric" and
"electricity", which made their first appearance in print in
Thomas Browne's Pseudodoxia Epidemica of 1646.
Further work was conducted by Otto von Guericke,
Robert Boyle, Stephen Gray and C. F. du Fay. In the 18th
century, Benjamin Franklin conducted extensive research in
electricity, selling his possessions to fund his work. In June
1752 he is reputed to have attached a metal key to the
bottom of a dampened kite string and flown the kite in a
storm-threatened sky. A succession of sparks jumping from
the key to the back of the hand showed that lightning was
indeed electrical in nature.
6. Ohm's Law defines the relationships between (P) power, (E) voltage, (I)
current, and (R) resistance. One ohm is the resistance value through which
one volt will maintain a current of one ampere.
( I ) Current is what flows on a wire or conductor like water flowing down
a river. Current flows from negative to positive on the surface of a
conductor. Current is measured in (A) amperes or amps.
( E ) Voltage is the difference in electrical potential between two points in
a circuit. It's the push or pressure behind current flow through a circuit,
and is measured in (V) volts.
( R ) Resistance determines how much current will flow through a
component. Resistors are used to control voltage and current levels. A very
high resistance allows a small amount of current to flow. A very low
resistance allows a large amount of current to flow. Resistance is measured
in ohms.
( P ) Power is the amount of current times the voltage level at a given
point measured in wattage or watts.
7. Ā· Electric charge ā a property of some subatomic particles,
which determines their electromagnetic interactions.
Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces,
electromagnetic fields.
Ā· Electric field ā an influence produced by an electric charge
on other charges in its vicinity.
Ā· Electric potential ā the capacity of an electric field to do
work on an electric charge, typically measured in volts.
8. Electric current ā a movement or flow of electrically
charged particles, typically measured in amperes.
- is the movement of the charged
particles in a specific direction. The charge particle may
be an electron, a positive ion of a negative ion, and they
are referred to as current carries.
Current ā is the measure of how much charge is passed through
a given point in a conductor per given amount of time.
- the symbol for current is I.
9. Direct current (DC) is the unidirectional flow of electric charge.
Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries,
thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of
the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a
wire, but can also be through semiconductors, insulators, or even
through a vacuum as in electron or ion beams.
Alternating current (AC, also ac) the movement (or flow) of electric charge
periodically reverses direction. An electric charge would for instance move
forward, then backward, then forward, then backward, over and over again.
12. Problem 1:
An appliance draws 10 amperes in a 110 volt circuit. What is the
resistance of the appliance?
Given:
10 amps
110 volts
Find the resistance
The formula is Volts = amps X ohms
Therefore, volts/amps = ohms, because of the substitution to get the
formula for the ohms.
Solution:
volts/amps = ohms
110 volts/10 amps = 11 ohms
The resistance is 11 ohms.
13. Problem 2:
A 10 ohm resistor is connected to a 100 volt source. What current does it
draw?
Given:
10 ohm
110 volt
Find the current.
The formula is amps = volts/ohms
Solution:
amps = volts/ohms
100 volts/10 ohms = 10 amps
Dividing the 100 volts over 10 ohms is equal to 10 amps. Therefore
the current is 10 amps.
14. Problem 3:
A 10 ohm resistor draws 9 amps. What is the voltage across the resistor?
Given:
10 ohm
9 amps
Find the voltage
The formula is volts = amps x ohms.
Solution:
volts = amps x ohms
9 amps x 10 ohms = 90 volts.
Multiplying the 9 amps and 10 amps will have the product of 90 volts.
Therefore the voltage is 90 volts.