In , Thomas Edison focused on inventing a practical light bulb, one that would last a long time before burning out. The problem was finding a strong material for the filament, the small wire inside the bulb that conducts electricity.
Finally, Edison used ordinary cotton thread that had been soaked in carbon. The next challenge was developing an electrical system that could provide people with a practical source of energy to power these new lights.
Edison wanted a way to make electricity both practical and inexpensive. About 85 customers in lower Manhattan received enough power to light 5, lamps. His customers paid a lot for their electricity, though. Today, electricity costs about The turning point of the electric age came a few years later with the development of AC alternating current power systems. After a falling out, Tesla discovered the rotating magnetic field and created the alternating current electrical system that is used very widely today.
Tesla later went on to form the Tesla Electric Company, invent the Tesla Coil, which is still used in science labs and in radio technology today, and design the system used to generate electricity at Niagara Falls. Nikola Tesla. Now using AC, power plants could transport electricity much farther than before. While many people were thrilled with all the new inventions, some people were afraid of electricity and wary of bringing it into their homes.
They were afraid to let their children near this strange new power source. Many social critics of the day saw electricity as an end to a simpler, less hectic way of life. Poets commented that electric lights were less romantic than gaslights. Perhaps they were right, but the new electric age could not be dimmed.
In , about two percent of U. In , with the increasing use of technologies powered by electricity, it was almost 40 per cent. Go here to visit all of our Electrical Energy pages. This e-book is easy to read and understand and easy to download. Alessandro Volta A Current Began An English scientist, Michael Faraday, was the first one to realize that an electric current could be produced by passing a magnet through a copper wire.
Michael Faraday In James Clerk Maxwell had started a different path of development with equations that described the electromagnetic field, and he predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves traveling with the speed of light.
Edison and His Light Thomas Alva Edison is one of the greatest of all inventors and is normally credited with creating light bulbs along with Nicolas Tesla. Nikola Tesla Now using AC, power plants could transport electricity much farther than before.
Share it:. Write for This Channel. Related Articles 1. Watthour Meter Explained. Electricity Generation Explained. Voltage drop formula for a given cable size.
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Unit of Electricity - Fundamentals Explained. What is Impedance? Substation Maintenance Training. High Voltage Training Online. UPS System Training. Dec, Building Automation Training. High Voltage Safety Training. Find out what it smells like! Ask an adult to order a scratch-and-sniff natural gas odor postcard.
Because natural gas is lighter than air, it will float and spread out over open areas near the source of the leak. If you smell rotten eggs or a skunk-like smell, tell your parents and leave your home right away. An adult should call the gas company right away.
An electric shock happens when you come in contact with a source of electrical energy. Electricity always wants to find the path of least resistance. When an electric shock occurs, your muscles tighten and your lungs constrict. Your heartbeat can be interrupted, and burns and internal organ damage can occur. You can even die. Learn more about electric shock and how to stay safe. Strong winds, ice storms and heavy snows can snap trees and power poles, which fall and break the lines.
When this happens, power companies work quickly to restore power as soon it is safe to do so. In a power outage situation, line workers are the heroes. These are the people who install, maintain and fix the power lines. They go out into danger — including snow storms and even hurricanes and tornadoes — to restore power.
Think about hospitals, who have hundreds of people to take care and need light to see. Or elderly people who live alone and might need oxygen devices to stay alive.
Sometimes the power company plans a power outage in a specific area in order to perform necessary work. This type of outage is rare and impacts only a small number of people at a time. People impacted by this type of outage are notified in advance.
Carbon emissions refer to the carbon dioxide CO 2 that is released as a result of a human activity, such as burning fossil fuels like coal. Too much CO 2 can act like a blanket in the atmosphere, trapping heat and raising the outdoor temperature.
We can help reduce the amount of CO 2 by saving energy, by using more renewable energy resources and less non-renewable energy sources. It takes a huge amount of energy to gather, purify and transport water. When we heat up water for showers and dishwashers, uses energy too. Cutting back on both energy and water use has a positive effect on the planet. The smart grid uses digital communication to detect and react to changes in electricity usage at homes and businesses.
For instance, a power outage can be communicated back to the power company instantly. In contrast, a smart home has lighting, heating and electronics that can be controlled remotely by phone or computer. The smart grid and smart home can interact with each other electronically via a smart meter , allowing homes and businesses to better manage their electricity usage.
Take lithium or rechargeable batteries to your local solid waste agency for proper recycling. Electric vehicles EVs are much more efficient. EVs also run on a rechargeable battery and produce no carbon dioxide, making them much better for the environment. He is well known for his work with alternating current AC , AC motors, and the polyphase distribution system.
Others who worked to bring the use of electricity to where it is today include Scottish inventor James Watt, Andre Ampere, a French mathematician, and German mathematician and physicist George Ohm. And so, it was not just one person who discovered electricity. While the concept of electricity was known for thousands of years, when it came time to develop it commercially and scientifically, there were several great minds working on the problem at the same time.
We have written many articles about electricity for Universe Today. Listen here, Episode Electromagnetism. I note there has to be an anode and a cathode to draw power from a battery. If that spark came in contact with a flammable Greek Fire?
Actually, the early Byzantines made something very similar! Byzantine hand grenades with Greek fire in the 10th to 12th centuries are on display in the National Museum at Athens. The use of Greek fire, or rather variants thereof, spread to Muslim armies in the Near East, from where it reached China by the 10th century. SciFi short story subject: In the not too distant future our sciences find a way to peer back into time.
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