√ Electricity: Definition, Ways, Benefits, Properties and Dangers

Electricity: Definition, Ways, Benefits, Properties and Dangers - On this occasion About Knowledge will discuss about electricity. Which in this discussion explains the meaning of electricity, methods, benefits, properties and dangers of electricity briefly and clearly. For more details, see the following article.

Electricity: Definition, Ways, Benefits, Properties and Dangers

In this modern and sophisticated era, people are very dependent on electricity. Just pay attention to the equipment in your home, what tools use an electric current? Examples of electronic devices are televisions, water pumps, irons and refrigerators. All of these electronic devices require a source of electric current to be used.

Then where does the electric current come from? And how does electricity get to your house?

Definition of Electricity

Electricity is a series of physical phenomena related to the flow of positive and negative electric charges. The study of electricity consists of two parts, namely static electricity and dynamic electricity.

Static electricity

Static electricity is the science of stationary electric charges, the force between charges, the field around charges and the potential created by charges.

Dynamic electricity

Meanwhile, dynamic electricity is the science of moving electric charges, the force caused by electric fields and electric potential.

Before studying electricity, you should know what makes up the objects around you. All matter that is composed of very small particles is called an atom. Atoms themselves are composed of atomic nuclei and electrons.

The atomic nucleus is called the nucleus which is located in the middle of the atom. The atomic nucleus is composed of protons and neutrons, in which the protons are positively charged, while the neutrons are uncharged. While the atomic nucleus is surrounded by negatively charged electrons.

Basically, in an atom is not charged or neutral. That is, the number of protons in an atom is equal to the number of electrons. If an atom gains electrons or loses electrons, then the atom is called an ion.

How to Create a Static Electric Charge

Based on the charge, there are 3 (three) ways to generate static electricity, namely:

By Rubbing

You must have seen a plastic ruler that has no load and then rubbed with a woolen cloth, then the ruler can make or pull small pieces of paper. Why did it happen? When the ruler is rubbed with wool, there is a transfer of electrons from the wool to the plastic ruler so that the plastic has a little extra electrons. That is, the plastic ruler becomes excess electrons and becomes negatively charged.

From this explanation we can see that there are two kinds of electric charge, namely positive electric charge and negative electric charge. An object can be said to have a positive electric charge, if the object lacks one or more electrons. An object can be said to be negatively charged, if the object has an excess of one or more electrons. The number of electrons determines the magnitude of the electric charge.

By Conduction (Touch)

A positively charged metal touches a charged (neutral) metal. Electrons in uncharged metals are attracted to positively charged metals. So some electrons can move to the positive metal. By reducing the negative charge on a neutral metal, the metal will become positively charged.

By Induction

By means of induction, that is, a positively charged metal is brought closer to a neutral metal without touching it. Electrons in a neutral metal will move around, but not leave the metal. Electrons in neutral metals only move to the B end. The metal remains neutral, but becomes a separation of charge between the positive and negative charges. This method is called the induction method.

Characteristics of Static Electric Charge

Every object that is electrically charged when brought closer to each other will have certain properties.

• When similarly charged objects are brought closer, they will repel each other.
• When objects with dissimilar charges are brought closer, they attract each other.

There was one person who was a French national, a physicist namely Charles Coulomb (1736-1806 AD). He conducted experiments using a type of balance to determine the force on two charged bodies. Through these experiments in 1785 he concluded that there is a relationship between electric charge, electric force and the distance between the two. The electric force it conveys is divided into 2 types, namely:

• The force of attraction between the two charges.
• The force of repulsion between the two charges.

The force that causes electrically charged objects to move closer together is called attraction and the force that causes electrically charged objects to move away from each other is called repulsive force. If the force acts on an object, it will cause the object to move.

Charles Coulomb's law

"The force of repulsion or attraction between two electrically charged objects is directly proportional the product of the two charges and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the two charges the".

Benefits of Static Electricity

There is a concept of static electricity that can be utilized in electrical devices, including the following:

Making Condensers in Electronic Circuits

The condenser, which is often called a capacitor, has 2 metal plates separated by a dielectric material. Dielectric materials commonly used include glass and ceramics.

If the ends of the two metal plates are given an electric voltage, then what happens is that the positive charge will gather to one of the legs on the metal. At the same time a negative charge collects on the other end of the metal.

Van de Graff Generators

Van de Graff generators can produce very large potential differences of up to millions of volts. This generator consists of a metal ball, rubber band, rotating wheel and electrodes. The workings of the Van de Graff generator are as follows.

A 50 kV voltage source is supplied to electrode A so that the negative charge on the tape flows to the ground, while the positive charge is carried by the pota to electrode B and then to the surface of the conducting ball. If the application of this voltage occurs continuously, then the separation of charges continues to occur and more and more positive charges accumulate on the surface of the ball.

By touching the ball, our bodies will be energized with the same charge, namely positive charge. As a result, our hair is induced by a positive charge and there will be a mutual repulsive force with the positive charge of the conductor ball so that the hair stands up.

Smoke Clump

In 1907, F. G. Cottrell invented a simple device for clearing smoke from chimneys. Such as cement factories, steel mills and power plants. Almost all factories produce very dirty smoke and dust. So to reduce the smoke and dust, smoke agglomerates were made.

The smoke plume consists of wires and metal plates. The wire is subjected to a high voltage of up to 60 kV which produces lots of electrons and the wire becomes negatively charged. The metal plate on the wall of the chimney becomes positively charged because it is induced by a negatively charged wire.

Smoke and dust come from the bottom of the chimney and go up through it so that it becomes negatively charged. When the dust passes through the metal plate, the dust will be attracted by the metal plate and fall to the bottom of the chimney so that the smoke produced is clean.

Static Electricity Danger

Lightning

Lightning is a natural occurrence. Lightning is a jump of electric charge between clouds and the earth. The jump in electric charge will be preceded by water vapor that collects in the clouds. The height between the upper and lower surfaces of the clouds can reach a distance of about 8 km.

With a temperature difference between the bottom and the top temperature can reach 100 °C. As a result, in the cloud there will be ice crystals. Because in the cloud there is wind in all directions, the ice crystals will grow and rub against each other so that the positive charge is separated from the negative charge.

This charge separation event is the main cause of lightning strikes. Electrical discharges can occur inside clouds. Between cloud and cloud and between cloud and earth, depends on the ability of the air to withstand the potential difference that occurs.

Sparks

In motorized vehicles, there is friction generated between the tires and the road. This friction can cause sparks, because electrons are released from the tires, making the vehicle body positively charged.

Therefore, vehicles used to load fuel or chemicals are highly flammable. By installing metal to conduct electrons from the ground so that the vehicle body is neutral so that sparks do not occur.

Thus the explanation about Electricity: Definition, Ways, Benefits, Properties and Dangers. Hopefully it can be useful and add to your insight. Thank You.