Electricity
What is electricity?
A form of energy.
What is energy?
The power to do work, make change or move objects.
Types of sustainable electricity?
Hydro, wind, solar.
Extreme example of static electricity in nature?
Lightning
What is an atom?
An atom is the smallest part of matter.
Examples of energy?
Sound, light, chemical, thermal, solar, wind, hydro, nuclear
How is electricity made from fossil fuels?
Fossil fuels are burned in a power plant in order to create steam. The steam is used to spin turbines which can connect to generators that are responsible for creating electricity.
Example of static electricity.
Rubbing ballon on head and sticking it to the wall.
3 examples of current electricity.
Toaster, computer, and microwave.
Key point to remember about energy?
Energy is constantly being converted into other forms of itself.
How is electricity made from biomass?
Burning biomass can be used to generate electricity by producing heat and steam which can spin turbine blades.
What is current electricity?
When electrons move along a line or conductor for the purpose of powering a device.
What is the connection between atoms and electricity?
When atoms are imbalanced and become charged, they have a tendency to want to become balanced again. Atoms with too many electrons will want to get rid of them and atoms with too little electrons will want to gain them. When one atom transfers electrons to another atom, the flow of electrons is what creates electricity.
How is electricity made from wind?
The blades on the top of tower catch the wind and spin. These blades are connected to a long shaft, which runs down the tower to a generator that converts the movement of the wind into electrical energy.
How is electricity made from water?
The power of heavy falling water spins the blades of turbines, which powers generators that convert the mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Difference between DC and AC.
DC is when electrons travel in one direction from the source of electricity to the device it is powering and back to the source.
AC has electrons that travel back and forth very quickly creating a constant flow of electricity.
How is electricity made from solar energy?
Solar energy creates electricity by concentrating the sun's energy/heat to heat up a liquid to its boiling point where it eventually creates a steam. The steam spins a turbine in a generator.
How is electricity made from geothermal?
An intricate piping system is used to absorb the heat from the earth's core.