Electricity
hideElectricity (from the New Latin ēlectricus, "amber-like"[a]) is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts, such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction.
In general usage, the word 'electricity' is adequate to refer to a number of physical effects. However, in scientific usage, the term is vague, and these related, but distinct, concepts are better identified by more precise terms:
Electrical phenomena have been studied since antiquity, though advances in the science were not made until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Practical applications for electricity however remained few, and it would not be until the late nineteenth century that engineers were able to put it to industrial and residential use. The rapid expansion in electrical technology at this time transformed industry and society. Electricity's extraordinary versatility as a source of energy means it can be put to an almost limitless set of applications which include transport, heating, lighting, communications, and computation. The backbone of modern industrial society is, and for the foreseeable future can be expected to remain, the use of electrical power.
For more information about Electricity, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with electricity
Hydrogen-Wind-Nuclear Plant in Ontario Not Currently Worthwhile, Study Shows
Aug 06, 2008 |
4.2 / 5 (32) |
17
A recent case study on using hydrogen to store the electricity generated by a mix of wind and nuclear power in Ontario, Canada, has shown that the hydrogen addition won’t be worth the cost, at least not at the current state ...
Selling chip makers on optical computing
Nov 24, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (11) |
1
(PhysOrg.com) -- Computer chips that transmit data with light instead of electricity consume much less power than conventional chips, but so far, they've remained laboratory curiosities. Professors Vladimir ...
Small optical force can budge nanoscale objects
Nov 17, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (13) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Engineering researchers have used a very tiny beam of light with as little as 1 milliwatt of power to move a silicon structure up to 12 nanometers.
Solar power generation around the clock
Nov 05, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (29) |
15
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Californian company, SolarReserve, is developing a solar power system that can store seven hours' worth of solar energy by focusing mirrors onto millions of gallons of molten salt, allowing ...
Lighter, cheaper, LED light bulbs are starting to enter the marketplace
Oct 22, 2009 |
3.8 / 5 (13) |
6
Just when you were finally warming up to the idea of swapping out your old light bulbs with compact fluorescent ones, you may soon find a new alternative at your local hardware store.
Ultracapacitors Make City Buses Cheaper, Greener
Oct 21, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (45) |
31
(PhysOrg.com) -- A fleet of 17 buses near Shanghai has been running on ultracapacitors for the past three years, and today that technology is coming to the Washington, DC, for a one-day demonstration. Chinese ...
US army to be powered by waste
Oct 12, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (11) |
9
(PhysOrg.com) -- Defense company Qinetiq has been awarded a contract to supply the US army with a system that generates electricity from garbage.
Large-scale cousin of elusive 'magnetic monopoles' found
Oct 06, 2009 |
4.2 / 5 (17) |
5
(PhysOrg.com) -- Any child can tell you that a magnet has a "north" and a "south" pole, and that if you break it into two pieces, you invariably get two smaller magnets with two poles of their own. But scientists ...
$21 Billion Orbiting Solar Array will Beam Electricity to Earth
Sep 15, 2009 |
3.5 / 5 (41) |
73
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Japanese are preparing to develop a two trillion yen (approximately $21 billion USD) space solar project that will beam electricity from space in the form of microwaves or lasers to around ...
Cheaper Solar Power's Time Has Come
Sep 07, 2009 |
4.4 / 5 (22) |
18
(PhysOrg.com) -- Solar power manufacturers in the US are cutting prices to shift their stock, the government is chipping in with tax credits, and innovative leasing or financing arrangements spreading payments ...
Discovery about behavior of building block of nature could lead to computer revolution
Jul 30, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (39) |
7
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of physicists from the Universities of Cambridge and Birmingham have shown that electrons in narrow wires can divide into two new particles called spinons and a holons.
Scientists Discover Light Force with 'Push' Power
Jul 13, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (26) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Yale University researchers has discovered a "repulsive" light force that can be used to control components on silicon microchips, meaning future nanodevices could be controlled ...
Fundamental flaw in transistor noise theory discovered
May 21, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (20) |
10
(PhysOrg.com) -- Chip manufacturers beware: There's a newfound flaw in our understanding of transistor noise, a phenomenon affecting the electronic on-off switch that makes computer circuits possible. According ...
Ethanol vs. Electricity: Biomass converted into electricity could be more efficient than ethanol (w/Video)
May 07, 2009 |
3.7 / 5 (10) |
11
(PhysOrg.com) -- Concerns over petroleum gas prices and long-term effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment have prompted scientists to look for alternative renewable energy sources for transportation ...
Homeowners, small businesses install turbines to cut long-term energy costs
Apr 25, 2009 |
4.6 / 5 (25) |
14
Steve and Sue Kirkham's home sits atop a hill where the wind can be strong enough to mute conversations and rattle lawn chairs. Instead of complaining, they decided to harness its power.
