Electricity By Denise Carroll

Can you think of anything that uses electricity?

Electricity is Everywhere In your home, electricity runs the lights, television, toaster, machines, heats, and does much more. It’s hard to even imagine what your life would be like without it. What is electricity?

Energy Electricity is another kind of energy. It travels through wires to your home. We will learn about two types of electricity: current electricity and static electricity. Current electricity goes from one place to another. Static electricity stays in one place.

This is Current Electricity Current electricity goes from one place to another. 1. Electricity travels in a circuit that begins at a power plant. 5. When you plug something in and turn it on you complete electricity’s circuit. 2. The power plant sends electricity through power lines. Overhead power lines carry electricity to  transformers  on poles. 4. Electricity flows from the wires in the wall to the outlet, then to the appliance cord. 3. From transformers, electricity travels into houses and buildings through wires.

Batteries People also get electric energy from batteries. We use batteries to get electricity into objects that are not connected to a wall plug. This electric energy is used for many things. toys radios cameras flashlights watches cars

Complete Circuit In order for electricity to travel to where we need it, there must be a complete circuit of electricity. A complete circuit is like a circle. A circuit is a closed path so electricity can follow. Electricity starts at a particular place, travels around the circuit, and returns to the same place. No circuit will work if it has a break in it.

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What is static electricity? You walk across the rug, reach for the doorknob and..........ZAP!!! You get a shock. Or, you come inside from the cold, pull off your hat and......BOING!!! All your hair stands on end. What is going on here? And why does it only happen in the winter? The answer is: STATIC ELECTRICITY

Static Electricity Static electricity stays in one place. Rubbing an inflated balloon on clothing or rubbing your shoes on carpeting forms static electricity. This happens because tiny particles called electrons move from one object to another. These particles have a negative charge. Static electricity is created when an object gives up or gains these electrons.

Benjamin Franklin was known as the “Electric Man”. He was the first scientist who experimented with lightning and electricity. Electricity is one of our most widely used forms of energy. Benjamin Franklin Memorial Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Electricity Moves Fast! Electricity travels at the speed of light. At 186,000 miles per second, it gives you no time to react! You can’t move faster than electricity, so you just have to stay out of its way.

Safety Tips Never play with electrical cords, wires, switches, or plugs. Stay away from fallen power lines. Tell an adult if you see a fallen line. Never use a hairdryer or play an electrical radio or television near a bathtub or sink. Before you climb a tree, look up. If a power line is nearby or touching, stay away from the tree. Never touch anything that runs on electricity when your hands are wet. Fly kites and model airplanes in a wide open field or park—never near overhead electrical wires. Never climb utility poles or electrical towers. Stay away from substations and transformers (green boxes).

Congratulations! You have learned the difference between current electricity and static electricity.

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