As we go through a typical day, many of us likely do not think about the important role of electricity in our lives. We turn on lights, computers, and televisions; we plug in our cars on cold mornings without thinking of the process. In this activity, you will think about how electricity works by examing the work of electrons.

All electrical technologies we use daily and rely upon quite heavily are based on the energy of electrical charges. You should recall that electrons (the part of an atom that moves around the outside of the nucleus) have a slight negative charge. When they are moving around and come in contact with other materials that are good conductors of energy, some of the electrons move to those other materials.

 

When you walk on a carpet and then touch someone or something, you might get a shock. Consider the following steps in the process leading to the shock.

• When you shuffle your feet across the carpet, you have kinetic energy. Remember, kinetic energy is the energy in motion.
  
• The kinetic energy transfers to the carpet, which makes the molecules of the carpet start moving more quickly.
• As the movement of the molecules increases, so does the movement of the electrons that surround all the atoms in the molecules that make up the carpet as well as in the molecules in your body.
• Electrons have a negative charge, and when they are moving very quickly, they will try to move to another material to find a positive charge.
• When the electrons move from the carpet to your body, you gain electrons and a negative charge. This is what makes you get an electric shock when you touch someone or something that is a good conductor of electricity.

 

When electrons move, they carry electrical energy from one place to another. This process is the basis for much of our energy use today.