Electrical generator

In this blog we will share some information about the Electricity.


Also,I will use this blog to post assignments and to make announcements.

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References:

(2010). Electricity Retrieved May 19, 2010, from http://www.electricshock.org/

Electricity and Electrical Energy

Electricity is a manufactured product. It is not something you pump out of the ground or mine or collect from the sun or wind. Electric power is manufactured from a rotating machine that we call an electrical generator. After it is generated, (manufactured) it is then delivered through copper wires to where it is utilized


Electricity - most people don't understand what it is. They just turn on the light switch or start the appliance or push the button and something works. It's only when there is no electric power available that we start to consider the importance of it in our daily personal and working lives.

But the invention of the machine to generate power is right next to the invention of the printing press in the list of major contributions to the advancement of human civilization.

Without it, we would be burning wood and coal to heat our homes and businesses and using oil and candles to light our way in the dark. That is the way it was for humans civilization for countless centuries. Only since the invention of the electric generator have humans been able to advance in every aspect of modern life. In fact, modern living is defined by electric power.

References:

Kurtus, R. (2008). Electricity. Retrieved May 19, 2010 from http://science.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm

 

What is Static Electricity?

Everything we see is made up of tiny little parts called atoms. The atoms are made of even smaller parts. These are called protons, electrons and neutrons. They are very different from each other in many ways. One way they are different is their "charge." Protons have a positive (+) charge. Electrons have a negative (-) charge. Neutrons have no charge

Usually, atoms have the same number of electrons and protons. Then the atom has no charge, it is "neutral." But if you rub things together, electrons can move from one atom to another. Some atoms get extra electrons. They have a negative charge. Other atoms lose electrons. They have a positive charge. When charges are separated like this, it is called static electricity

If two things have different charges, they attract, or pull towards each other. If two things have the same charge, they repel, or push away from each other.

So, why does your hair stand up after you take your hat off? When you pull your hat off, it rubs against your hair. Electrons move from your hair to the hat. Now each of the hairs has the same positive charge. Things with the same charge repel each other. So the hairs try to move away from each other. The farthest they can get is to stand up and away from all the other hairs If you walk across a carpet, electrons move from the rug to you. Now you have extra electrons. Touch a door knob and ZAP! The electrons move from you to the knob. You get a shock

References:

Kurtus, R. (2009). Basics of Static Electricity. Retrieved May 20, 2010 from http://ia.juniata.edu/citation/apa/apa05.htm

Questions:

How does separating materials cause static electricity?
How does pressure or heat cause static electricity?
What is electrostatic induction?