Molly Ayala
The flow of electricity is called an electric current. This occurs when there is a difference in electric potential (voltage) between two points in a circuit, which pushes the electrons to move from the negative side to the positive side. The flow of electrons inside the conducting material or conductor generates an electric current. The force that is required to drive the current flow through the conductor is known as voltage. The amount of current flowing through the circuit is measured in amperes (A).
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of flow of electricity | Electric current |
| What is it? | The movement of charged particles, typically electrons, through a conductor |
| What is a conductor? | A material that allows the easy flow of electricity, such as copper or aluminum |
| What is a circuit? | A complete path or loop that electricity follows |
| What is a closed circuit? | A circuit is said to be closed or complete when a switch is turned ON |
| What is voltage? | The force that acts on the electrons to make them move in a certain direction |
| What is current? | The flow of electricity |
| How is it measured? | Current is measured in amperes, often shortened to amps (A) |
| What is resistance? | Resistance slows down the current |
| How is resistance measured? | Resistance is measured in ohms (Ω) |
| What is an example of electric current? | When you turn on a flashlight, the battery provides voltage, causing electrons to flow through the wire to the bulb, illuminating it |
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What You'll Learn
Electric current
The flow of electricity is called an electric current. Electric current is the movement of charged particles, typically electrons, through a conductor such as a wire. Electrons are negatively charged and are attracted to the positive terminal as unlike charges attract.
In conductive materials, such as metals, some electrons are free to move. These electrons are not bound to any particular atom and can drift from one atom to another. When a metal wire is connected across the two terminals of a direct current (DC) voltage source, such as a battery, the source places an electric field across the conductor. The moment contact is made, the free electrons of the conductor are forced to drift towards the positive terminal under the influence of this field. The free electrons are, therefore, the charge carriers in a typical solid conductor.
The flow of electrons inside the conducting material or conductor generates an electric current. The force that is required to drive the current flow through the conductor is known as voltage. The conventional direction of current, or conventional current, is arbitrarily defined as the direction in which positive charges flow. In a conductive material, the moving charged particles that constitute the electric current are called charge carriers. In metals, which make up the wires and other conductors in most electrical circuits, the positively charged atomic nuclei of the atoms are held in a fixed position, and the negatively charged electrons are the charge carriers, free to move about in the metal.
The magnitude of electric current is measured in coulombs per second. The SI unit of electric current is Ampere, often shortened to amps (A), and is denoted by the letter A. Ampere is defined as one coulomb of charge moving past a point in one second. Resistance (R) slows down the current. The higher the resistance, the slower the electric current flows. This is measured in ohms (Ω).
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Voltage
The flow of electricity is called electric current. Voltage is an integral part of this process.
The volt is named after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta, who invented the first chemical battery. Voltage is sometimes referred to as electric tension or electric pressure. This is because it can be understood as the pressure difference between two points, similar to the pressure difference that drives water flow in a pipe.
In a static electric field, voltage is the work needed per unit of charge to move a positive test charge from one point to another. It is always measured between two points. A voltmeter can be used to measure voltage.
The voltage provided by a power source, such as a battery, can be used to "push" a current through a circuit. This is how electrical devices function, by drawing power from a battery or other power sources.
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Circuits
The flow of electricity is called an electric current. Electric current refers to the movement of charged particles, typically electrons, through a conductor such as a wire. The flow occurs when there is a difference in electric potential (voltage) between two points in a circuit, which pushes the electrons to move from the negative side to the positive side.
A circuit is a closed path or loop that electricity follows. It is a complete conducting loop through which electrons can flow. A circuit is said to be closed or complete when a switch is turned on. The circuit must lead from the negative charge source, through the conductor, and back to the positive charge source. The simplest version of this is a light bulb, a battery, a switch, and a wire. If you close the switch, the circuit is complete and the battery's negative terminal repels electrons, sending them through the wire to the bulb. As a result, the bulb lights up and the electrons continue flowing back to the positive terminal.
The circuit forms a closed conducting loop through which electrons can flow. The motion of free electrons is normally haphazard. If a force acts on electrons to make them move in a particular direction, then to some extent, the random motion of the electrons is eliminated, and an overall movement in one direction is achieved. This force is known as electromotive force, and its quantity is known as voltage, measured in volts.
The integrity of this path is crucial. If something or someone breaks the circuit, the flow of electrons stops, and the current stops too. This could be intentional, like a switch, or something accidental, like a broken circuit element. That's why it's called a circuit—it's a circle and it has to be complete for electricity to flow.
In conductive materials, such as metals, some electrons are free to move. These electrons aren't bound to any particular atom and can drift from one atom to another. In metals, the positively charged atomic nuclei of the atoms are held in a fixed position, and the negatively charged electrons are free to move about in the metal.
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Conductors
The flow of electricity is called electric current.
A conductor is a substance or material that allows electricity to flow through it. In other words, it is a material that carries or conducts electrical currents well. Conductivity refers to the capacity of a substance to transmit electricity or heat. A good conductor allows the free flow of electricity since it offers little or no resistance to the flow of electrons, thus leading to high electrical current.
In a conductor, electrical charge carriers, usually electrons or charged ions, move easily from atom to atom when voltage is applied. This is because the outer electrons in the valence band are only loosely attached to the atom, and the application of voltage excites them, moving them from the valence band to the conduction band. In the conduction band, these electrons can move freely anywhere, resulting in an abundance of electrons in this band. These electrons travel with a to-and-fro motion, rather than in a straight line, and this is known as drift velocity.
Metals are common electrical conductors, with copper and silver being the most conductive. This is because metals, characteristically, possess a delocalized sea of electrons which gives the electrons enough mobility to collide and thus affect a momentum transfer. In metals, the positively charged atomic nuclei of the atoms are held in a fixed position, and the negatively charged electrons are the charge carriers, free to move about in the metal.
In certain contexts, pure water is an electrical insulator, but with even a little added salt, it becomes an excellent conductor. Similarly, while most organic molecules are typically insulators, some materials in pure form are insulators but will conduct if they are doped with small quantities of another element or if they contain impurities. For example, most ceramics are excellent insulators but doping them can create a superconductor.
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Resistance
The flow of electricity is called electric current. It is the movement of electric charge in a circuit. The circuit is the path or loop that electricity follows.
The resistance of a conductor or circuit element is influenced by its properties, length, cross-sectional area, and temperature. For example, a wire's resistance is higher if it is long and thin, and lower if it is short and thick. All objects resist electrical current, except for superconductors, which have zero resistance.
The resistance of a given object depends on two factors: the material it is made of and its shape. Objects made of electrical insulators like rubber tend to have very high resistance, while objects made of electrical conductors like metals tend to have very low resistance.
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Frequently asked questions
The flow of electricity is called an electric current. It involves the movement of charged particles, typically electrons, through a conductor due to voltage differences.
A conductor is a material that allows the easy flow of electricity, such as copper or aluminum.
A circuit is the complete path that the electric current follows, including the power source, conductors, and electrical devices.
