The short answer to the question “What is electricity?” is
the transfer of energy through the motion of charge-carrying electrons.
Lightning is an example of electricity and of electrons — lots and lots of them
— in motion.
Electricians are generally concerned with a much more
controlled situation where electricity flows through a given path in a safe,
predictable manner, but the electricity we use in shows is no different than
that in a lightning strike, a static discharge, or a flashlight battery.
Each is an example of the transfer of energy through the
motion of electrons. But from where do these electrons come? The answer can be
found in one of the most basic building blocks of the universe, the atom.
For thousands of years, the nature of electricity puzzled
and mystified some of the most brilliant minds. It wasn’t until scientists such
as Benjamin Franklin, André-Marie Ampère, Alessandro Volta, and Michael Faraday
contributed to our understanding of electricity that we began to unlock its
secrets.
Step by step, bit by bit, we built a plausible model of
electricity that fits a mathematical model and provides a real-world
explanation of this phenomenon. Even after we had a basic understanding of the
key relationships and the fundamentals of electricity, early pioneers such as
Joseph Swan, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, and George Westinghouse still
struggled to harness its power for daily use in a safe and efficient manner.
During that time — the late 1800s and early 1900s — one of
the first practical uses of electricity was to illuminate common areas such as
city streets and town squares. New York City quickly became entangled — quite
literally — in electrical wires and electricity. Horrified bystanders witnessed
the accidental electrocution of several workers in the naked light of day, and
electricity gained a reputation for being both mysterious and dangerous.
Thomas Edison used the public’s fear to protect his economic
interests by promoting DC power distribution over AC power distribution, while
George Westinghouse grew his business on the strength of AC and its inherent
advantages over DC.
The ensuing controversy did nothing to ease the public’s
apprehension about electricity, nor did it help to clarify its nature or
promote its understanding. To this day, many people have little understanding
of the nature of electricity.
Some of us still have difficulty answering the question,
“What is electricity?” After all, we can’t see it, hear it, or smell it. And we
certainly don’t want to taste it or feel it.
An electrician might understand how to hook up a power
distribution system but may not fully understand exactly how electricity
behaves.
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