What is electricity?

THE Electricity is the branch of physics responsible for the study of any phenomena that occur because of electrical charges at rest or in motion. The name electricity comes from the Greek word electron, used by the Greeks in reference to a fossilized resin from some trees: amber.

Fossilized resin known as amber
Fossilized resin known as amber

The ancient Greeks realized that, by rubbing amber on the skin of animals, this material acquired the property of attracting small bodies, such as feathers, fabrics, etc. From then on, phenomena of electrical origin began to be studied.

Today we are totally dependent on electrical phenomena and equipment. Lamps, irons, showers, refrigerators, computers and electric motors are a few examples of the daily use of electricity.

  • Development of the study on Electricity

It was only in the 16th century that studies on electricity gained strength, mainly with the contributions of the Englishman William Gilbert. At first, it was thought that electrical phenomena had no correspondence with phenomena

magnetic, but in 1820, the Dane Hans Christian Oersted observed that the electric current generated a magnetic field and thus the Era of Electromagnetism.

  • Electricity Subdivisions

Electricity can be subdivided: in electrostatics(study of electrical charges in rest, electrification processes, electrostatic force etc.) and Electrodynamics (study of phenomena involving moving electrical charges and electromagnetism).

  • Main topics studied in Electricity

  1. Electrification processes: Electrifying means generating an imbalance in the number of protons and electrons in a body. There are three electrification processes: Friction, contact and induction;

  2. Coulomb's Law: determines the electrical interaction force existing between two particles;

  3. Resistors: Equipment that regulates electrical current in circuits and performs the joule effect (transformation of electricity into heat);

  4. Generatorsandreceivers: Study of equipment that receives and generates electrical energy.


By Joab Silas
Graduated in Physics

Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/fisica/o-que-e-eletricidade.htm

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