Learn How Electricity is Made with Educational Video
Learn How Electricity is Made
Electricity is one of our most frequently used gifts from nature. Learning how to manipulate and use this natural element has dramatically changed our everyday lifestyles in countless ways.
Electricity is one of our most basic of elements that’s always been present on our planet. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that scientists discovered how to harness this energy source. Natural metals such as aluminum, copper, silver and gold are materials that naturally conduct electrical current when the right mechanisms are in place.
The reason for this lies in the way that their atoms are constructed. Electricity happens when the electrons that surround an atom’s nucleus are stimulated. The electrons are made of energy, so any agitation applied causes this energy to disperse. Metal atoms are good conductors because their nucleuses have a loose hold on their outlying electrons, making these electrons easier to stimulate. Materials such as glass and wood have nucleuses that maintain a tight hold on their electrons, which is why these materials are poor conductors of electricity.
In order for electricity to flow, a current has to be created and maintained. This is done using a generator device. Generators are what keep the electrons stimulated and moving. This process of generating energy, in effect, creates more and more of the same. Once a current of energy, or electricity, is conducted, devices called transformers are responsible for directing the flow so that it can be put to some form of use. Electrical current runs most efficiently along aluminum or copper wiring. The generator mechanism then acts as a magnetic force that stimulates the electron currents to run along the wiring. This is how electricity is made.
On a larger scale, there are several ways to make electricity, many of which rely on steam as a source of kinetic energy. Machines called turbines, made up of a large wire encased by a magnetic housing, are forced to spin by the kinetic energy generated by steam.
As the turbine spins, magnetic forces stimulate the wire’s electrons, which causes electrical currents to form. Transformers are then used to regulate the flow of current to and from a power plant. The steam needed to drive these turbines can be generated by burning fossil fuels such as oil, gas, and coal or through nuclear energy by splitting uranium material. In both cases, heat is created as a means to condense large amounts of water into steam. Other methods of running a turbine use wind, natural gas or just plain water to provide the physical force needed to spin the turbine.