HOME	What is electricity?

Electricity is a form of energy produced by the movement of electrons. There are two kinds of electricity: static electricity and current electricity.

Static electricity stays in one place and doesn't move like current electricity. Lightning is the most spectacular example of static electricity. This is a huge spark that flows between positive charges in the top of a thunder cloud and negative charges in the bottom.

Current electricity is the flow of electric charge through a substance that conducts electricity such as copper wire. A battery is a good example of a device that uses current electricity. Alternating current, also known as AC, is the kind of electricity that comes into most homes from power stations.

Almost everything we use now is powered by electricity. Imagine a normal day in your life. Every one of the things marked in red uses or was produced by electricity.

You get up because your alarm starts playing your least favorite music. You go to the bathroom, turn on the light, flush the toilet and take a shower. You see your big brother shaving while you dry your hair with a hair dryer.

In the kitchen, you open the refrigerator. You grab some raisin bread, and put it in the toaster. Your mum had poured some coffee from the coffeemaker but it got cold, so she warms it for a minute in the microwave oven. Your brother gets on the computer and checks his email, while listening to a CD. You phone the weather on the portable phone. It's raining and you convince your mum to drive you to school, so you open the garage door with the remote.

After school, you do a load of washing and help cook dinner while your brother practices his electric guitar. After dinner, you watch TV. Then you go to bed, turn your lamp on and read. After a while, you turn off your light and go to sleep.