In the Current Electricity section, you learned about electric charge, current, voltage and other related topics. But, just because you have a voltage does not mean electric current will flow. Electrons also need a complete loop of conductive material to flow, called a closed circuit . Let's look at a light switch. When you turn the switch "on", the switch creates a path that conducts electricity and electrons start to move—meaning electric current flows—and the light turns on. As soon as you turn the switch "off", the path is broken and electrons can no longer flow. The switch is like a drawbridge; switching it on is letting down the bridge so the electrons can cross (just like cars crossing a bridge) and provide energy to the light bulb. Illustration of how electric current can move through a closed loop of conductive material (left figure) but stops flowing whenever the loop is broken (right figure). This figure shows how a light bulb l...
In ancient times Greece people found a rock that attracts iron, nickel and cobalt. They call them as “magnet “and magnetism comes from here. These rocks were used later by Chinese people to make compasses. Later scientists found that, magnets have always two poles different from electricity. Magnets have two ends or faces called “poles” where the magnetic effect is highest. In last unit we saw that there is again two polarities in electricity, “-“charges and “+” charges. Electricity can exist as monopole but magnetism exists always in dipoles North Pole (represented by N ) and South Pole (represented by S) . If you break the rock into pieces you get small magnets and each magnet also has two poles N and S. Same poles of the magnet like in the electricity repel each other and opposite poles attract each other. Strengths of these forces depend on the distance between the poles and intensity of the poles. Types of Magnets In nature Fe 3 O 4 is used as magnet. However, th...
Making Charges Flow We now have all the tools to make charges flow. Electrons in atoms can act as our charge carrier , because every electron carries a negative charge. If we can free an electron from an atom and force it to move, we can create electricity. Consider the atomic model of a copper atom, one of the preferred elemental sources for charge flow. In its balanced state, copper has 29 protons in its nucleus and an equal number of electrons orbiting around it. Electrons orbit at varying distances from the nucleus of the atom. Electrons closer to the nucleus feel a much stronger attraction to the center than those in distant orbits. The outermost electrons of an atom are called the valence electrons , these require the least amount of force to be freed from an atom. Using enough electrostatic force on the valence electron–either pushing it with another negative charge or attracting it with a positive charge–we can eject the electron from orbit around the atom ...
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