What is Power (Hva Er Strøm)? – Electricity Explained

Electricity can be found everywhere – from balloons rubbing against each other or lightning striking the ground to powering our homes with electricity. We harness its energy every time we flip on a power switch, but what exactly is it?

What is Electricity?

No matter the level of expertise, understanding basic electronic terms like amps, volts and watts is critical to understanding electrical circuits and the appliances you own. Googling – hva er electricity? – may not reveal much actual information. Understanding their relationships will enable you to quickly troubleshoot issues with appliances while making sense of complex wiring diagrams.

Electricity is created by electrons, small particles that circulate around the nucleus of atoms that make up everything we see and touch. Each electron carries a negative charge, but atoms as whole have no overall charge. Grouped together atoms can pass their electrons onto nearby ones and form molecules such as rubber or water molecules; unlike planets in our solar system which move slowly around their nuclei, electrons move very quickly around atomic nuclei forming cloud-like patterns called probability clouds.

Voltage refers to the difference in electrical potential between two points on a conductor, measured as the difference in potential between them. Voltage measures how much “pressure” electrons in an electronic circuit exert on one another and is typically expressed as voltage units (V). To learn more, skip to the bottom of the article which focuses on volts and voltage.

Electrons

Electrons are small negatively charged particles that orbit around an atom’s positively charged nucleus and orbit at high velocities, only visible with powerful microscopes or particle accelerators. Electrons move quickly through materials while having both wavelike and particle properties; each has a negative electrical charge but very little mass when compared with protons or neutrons which consist of even smaller components called quarks.

Have you ever made your hair stand on end by rubbing it? That is due to rapid electron movement in your scalp hair. Oppositely charged electrons push against each other and seek to move further apart, with charges attracted together like magnets.

However, with enough force applied against an electron it may become dislodged from its orbit and cause electricity. Lightning or touching something with a long coat of hair standing up can also eject it from its orbit, producing electricity as it escapes out into space and away from its atomic orbit – creating electricity as the result of its escaped electrons is created!

Electrons can be propelled into motion through chemical reactions in batteries, photons striking solar panels or simply gravity, to power many everyday devices that we depend on for daily living. Once electrons start flowing freely they provide electricity that fuels many devices we rely on every day.

Current

Electric current is the rate at which electrons pass through a wire and is measured in amperes (amps). To produce a usable current, three factors must come together: an abundance of electric charges that are free to flow; some form of push to move them along; and an avenue through which these charges may flow freely – typically copper wire. Current flows from one end of a circuit to the other much like water flowing from a dam into a pipe system.

Everything in our universe is composed of microscopic particles known as atoms. Every atom contains protons with positive electromagnetic charges while electrons with negative charges; protons often move between atoms while electrons often jump from one to another causing electrical current to flow between atoms.

When it comes to an electrical source, you’ll need an enclosed circuit and something to conduct electricity such as copper wiring. The current doesn’t need to travel an immense distance each second – just multiple cross sections in its journey through. A current really is as simple as that.

Voltage refers to the force that causes electrons to move continuously through a wire, also known as electromotive force and measured in Volts. A higher voltage leads to faster current flow through a circuit and may be created artificially by means of power generator, flashlight battery, fuel cell or natural phenomena such as the Gulf Stream that travels from Atlantic Ocean through United States and Canada before arriving in Northern Europe.

Voltage

Voltage is the force that drives electrons to move through an electrical circuit and allow current to do work such as illuminate a light. Also referred to as electric potential difference and measured in volts (named for Alessandro Volta who first created chemical batteries), voltage also creates pressure that makes electricity flow through electrical conductors and also known as electromotive force as it provides pressure that drives it forward.

Electricity is a secondary energy source, produced through the conversion of other primary energies such as coal, oil, solar power and wind power into electricity in a closed circuit. To understand its workings fully we must first understand its relationship between voltage, current and resistance – or else this energy source won’t function at all!

Voltage can be easier understood if we compare it to gravitational potential energy of an object like a cliff; objects nearer the edges have greater gravitational potential energy due to being further away from their center of gravity. Voltage works similarly for electrical energy as the difference in potential between two points on a circuit can be defined as the amount of electric energy per unit charge that can be imparted from one place to another (technically this amount equals distance over which test charge travels with force of gravity factored in).

Electric fields refer to the pulling and pushing force between charges in space, similar to Earth’s gravitational field; however, electric fields differ by pushing or pulling away charges just as often as they attract them. They’re responsible for phenomena like static electricity which can be produced by rubbing dissimilar materials together or lightning as well as being responsible for Mary Shelley’s creative genius when revitalizing monsters for Frankenstein in her novel.

Power

Power or energy transferred or converted per unit of time, is measured using physical quantities. While different systems exist to measure power, one of the more popular ways is using Watt (W). Other units used include horsepower (hp), kilowatts (kW), and joules per second (JPS).

Electrical energy can be stored in batteries and wires that store potential for use; or it can be kinetic, meaning it moves and has momentum – like electrons in a circuit moving to create electricity; more kinetic energy means more power it provides.

Electrical energy is used in our homes, factories and offices across the world. Electricity can be generated using coal, petroleum, natural gas, wind power hydropower or nuclear energy generation sources; some individuals also choose to generate their own power using renewable sources like solar or wind power generation. Power is the rate at which energy is transferred or converted. It is measured in watts (W), kilowatts (kW), horsepower, or joules per second (JPS).

Electrical energy can be stored in batteries and wires, or it can be kinetic, meaning it moves and has momentum. For example, electrons in a circuit move to create electricity. The more kinetic energy the electrons have, the more power they provide.

Electrical energy is used in our homes, factories, and offices all over the world. It can be generated using coal, petroleum, natural gas, wind power, hydropower, or nuclear energy. Some individuals also choose to generate their own power using renewable sources like solar or wind power, but its all power and all treated the same.