Thediscovery of electricity is regarded as one of the best discoverieswhich have ever been achieved by man. Just like other discoveriessuch as aeroplanes, vehicles, vaccine such as the Ebola vaccine,electricity has gone a long way in making sure that people staycomfortable in all parts of the globe. It is worth noting that,electricity is crucial in areas such as production of goods andservices (Jimbo 1). For instance, large machines operated infactories are useful in manufacturing essential goods such as foodand chemical substances. This is a factor which goes a long way inensuring the sustainable development as advocated by major worldbodies such as the United Nations.
Whatis ?
Howeverone of the major questions which linger in the minds of many peopleis what is electricity, its origin as well as its working. is a combination of charged electrons flowing to formenergy (Baigrie7).The nucleus is made up of two particles which are basically positiveprotons and uncharged neutrons which in turn surrounded by negativelycharged particles known as electrons (Bellis 1). The charge on theelectron is equal to the charge of a proton and when the balance isaffected by other forces, the atom could lose or attain someelectron. This process of lost electron forms electric current.
(CaliforniaEnergy Commission, 1)
Dueto the high demand of electric energy, we require a secondary sourceof electricity which we get from various natural sources. Thesesources entail conversion of energy mainly from coal, nuclear power,oil and gases. Water has been used over time to turn turbines toproduce energy. In the mid 1800, the electric bulb was invented whichbrought change in home lighting. can also be generatedfrom stored power such as dry cells as seen in the diagram below
(Jimbo,1)
Howdoes electricity work?
Amachine able to convert mechanical or chemical energy is required togenerate electricity (U.S.Energy Information Administration, 1).Steam turbines are more common where they turn kinetic energy fromliquid or gas set to move in it to rotate the shafts of blades togenerate the energy. Thereafter, the turbine is able to convert thekinetic energy of the gas or the flowing fluid into mechanicalenergy.
Ohm’sLaw
Thelaw offers the relationship between current and voltage in an idealconductor. According to the law “The potential difference(voltage) across an ideal conductor is proportional to the currentthrough it” (Physics Department, 1).That is:
V=IR
WhereV is the voltage, I is the current and R is the resistance (PhysicsDepartment, 1).
Controversiessurrounding Generation of
Therehave been numerous controversies elicited in the recent pastsurrounding generation of electricity. One of it is the use ofnuclear power especially after the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disasterwhich took place in 2011 in Japan. In this method, reactors containnuclear fuel which is enhanced with uranium. Due to the fact thatthey are in a controlled environment, there is splitting of atoms ina process known as nuclear fission. As a result, majority ofdeveloped countries such as Germany are closing down their nuclearplants and investing more on green energy generated by the use ofsolar panels, biogas among others. Further, there are debates towardswhether electricity generated through geothermal should be fullycategorized as green energy.
Conclusion
Itis clear that electricity plays a great role in human life. With thisin mind, there is the need to carry further research especially theone which involves the generation of green energy to further enhancelife and reduce environmental impact.
WorksCited
Baigrie,Brian.and Magnetism: A Historical Perspective. GreenwoodPress. 2006. Print. pp. 7–8
Bellis,Mary. Whatis ?.2016. Web. Available athttp://inventors.about.com/od/firststeps/fl/What-is-.htm
CaliforniaEnergy Commission. Chapter2:What Is ?. 2012. Web. Available athttp://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter02.html
Jimbo.Whatis ?.2016. Web. Available athttps://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/what-is-electricity
PhysicsDepartment . OHM`SLAW. University of Guelph.2016. Available athttps://www.physics.uoguelph.ca/tutorials/ohm/Q.ohm.intro.html
U.S.Energy Information Administration. Basics. 2016. Web.Available athttp://www.eia.gov/kids/energy.cfm?page=electricity_home-basics-k.cfm