subject: Understanding Our Dependence On Electricity [print this page] Saving electricity has become a hot topic recently. The push to find more energy efficient ways of living has been a result of the public discourse discussing how it is important to save electricity.
So many people are looking for ways to save electricity without even really understand what electricity is. Although you may know what it powers or what it odes it is important to know what it is.
With a better understanding of what electricity is you will be able to save it more efficiently. Instead of just following the direction of others you may actually be able to create more innovative ways to save electricity.
First, it is important to understand that electricity is a form of energy. The energy comes from the movement of electrons.
All matter is made up of atoms. The atom is made up of even smaller particles.
In the center of an atom is the nucleus. The nucleus is made of protons and neutrons.
The protons in the nucleus are positively charged. The neutrons in the nucleus are neutral without any charge.
There are outside forces which force an atom to gain or lose an electron. When an electron leaves an atom the energy that comes from the movement of the electron constitutes an electric current.
There are a lot of different sources that we get our energy from. Usually we get our energy from a secondary source.
Some of the primary sources of energy are natural gases, oils or even coal. We convert these primary sources into secondary sources almost every day.
We are now able to produce and transport electricity across long distances. Before this ability came about many cities would build right next to waterfalls.
The water falling would push a wheel or multiple wheels around to produce the energy that the city needed in its mills. This energy would be used to accomplish many tasks.
Energy does not have to come from electricity. It can come from many different sources.
Much more recently the homes in our country were lit by kerosene lamps and the central heating system was simply a wood burning stove. If food needed to be kept cold it was put into an icebox.
It's strange to think that at for thousands of years in our human history electricity had yet to be discovered and harnessed for our use. Although electricity has existed this whole time it was not until fairly recently that it was utilized.
The Ancient Egyptians had experienced the electric shocks of fish that lived in the Nile River. Although they did not understand what the shock was or how the fish produced it they believed that this fish was the protector of the other fish.
In the 15th century the Arabs used the word raad for lightning. They applied this term to the electric ray because they understood the shock of the ray.
There have since been many scientists and even common men that have become curious about the principles of electricity. This curiosity has led men to finally understand more about electricity.
Electricity travels in currents and these currents are more able to travel through conductors. These conductors facilitate the movement of electricity rather than hindering the movement.
Conductors are found in almost all of our everyday electrical use. Even our light bulbs utilize this principle.
Electric lighting was the first common form of harnessed electricity. This electricity became commonly available around the 1870's.
There were some very positive results that came from using electricity for light. Not only was this a much easier way for people to light their home but it was also much safer.
The open flame that would be burning on a kerosene lamp, a candle or even the fireplace was replaced by a bulb that contained no flame. This reduced the chances of burns and fires dramatically.
Even at this time electricity had not become a part of everyday life. Although the electricity was available and many people saw electricity in stores and other public places the average citizen did not have electricity in his or her home.
Because of this lack of familiarity a lot of people thought that electricity was some kind of unknown magic. This unknown force was unexplainable to the vast majority of people.
Eventually, as electricity infiltrated everyday life more and more people came to understand electricity and viewed electricity as a necessity rather than a luxury. Once the public began to view this commodity as a necessity our dependence on electricity was born.
