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Science

Amazing Hidden Energy
by Elizabeth Klein

Electricity is an amazing source of power that we utilize every day. It is a versatile form of energy that is used in countless ways. It can flow from one place to another at the blink of an eye. Electricity produces light and sound, heat for homes, offices, and factories, and power for such devices as kettles and televisions.

Power stations create nearly all of the electricity that we use, which is artificially produced by generators and batteries. It can also be natural in the form of static electricity. A dramatic example of natural static electricity is the build-up that occurs inside a thundercloud. Water droplets and ice particles rub violently together and become charged. Sometimes they need to be "discharged", which causes a flash of lightning. This build-up of electrical energy occurs in one place and when it discharges, it leaps in a brief, uncontrollable way in the form of a lightning bolt.

So much electrical energy is contained in lightning that it is converted into light, heat, and sound all at once. When electrical energy flashes inside a cloud and makes it glow, it is called sheet lightning. But when it sends brilliant crooked streaks from the cloud to the ground, it is called fork lightning or a lightning bolt. Thunder is created when the heated air made by the lightning expands very rapidly. Generally, you hear the sound it makes a few moments later. This is because light travels faster than sound. You will always see the lightning before you hear the sound, except when the storm cloud is directly overhead.

Lightning is an example of a natural electric current, which is moving electrical energy. An electric current will flow along a pathway if it forms a complete loop. This loop is called a circuit and allows this current to carry electrical energy from place to place. A simple circuit can be created when electricity flows from a battery through a wire to a light bulb and back to the battery. When you connect the light bulb into the circuit, the electrical energy converts to light. Electricity is carried to different parts of your house by a series of circuits. When you put a plug into a socket, the pins connect into the circuit. If the switch is turned on, it provides a pathway for the electric current to flow.

However, electric currents cannot travel through just any circuit, but only through substances that are good conductors. Some good conductors of electricity are copper, aluminium foil, and water. An insulator is a substance through which electricity cannot flow, such as rubber, plastic, and air.

A battery is a portable store of electricity, and depending on its size, makes limited amounts of electrical energy. The chemicals inside batteries convert to electrical energy and can provide power to small appliances such as remote controls as well as huge trucks. When a battery is connected into a circuit, the current starts to flow; however, a battery will run down after a period of time, especially if it cannot be recharged.

Electricity is a hidden source of power that is used all around the local environment. In fact, it's used in so many ways that we often take it for granted. Lighting, cooling, heating, cleaning, transport, and entertainment all rely on electricity. Think about it the next time you turn on the light.

Bibliography:
Farndon, John. Electricity: Science Investigations. Lewes, East Sussex England: White-Thomson Publishing Ltd, 2006.

Rogers, Kirsteen, et al. The Usborne Internet-Linked Library of Science Light, Sound and Electricity. London: Usborne Publishing Ltd, 2001.

Royston, Angela. Using Electricity. Oxford: Reed Educational and Professional Publishing Ltd, 2001.

Internet:
http:/www.explainthatstuff.com/electricity.html

Photo: Courtesy Wikipedia

Elizabeth Klein has been a primary school teacher for nineteen years and is now a freelance writer. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her husband. Her publishing credits include a short story called, "Courage Comes in Strange Parcels." She is currently working on a fantasy trilogy.