Basics of Electricity 1

Introduction

Electric current is the flow of electrons through a material. All materials are made of atoms, which
contain electrons.

Origins of Electricity
The modern science of electricity originated with Benjamin Franklin’s experiments in 1747. Franklin
was the first to believe that electricity was made up of both positive and negative particles. His
experiments created terms still in use today, such as battery, conductor, armature, condenser, plus,
minus, positive, negative, charge, and many others.

Electrons and their Potentials

Watch the vedio.

To understand electricity, we must first learn how an atom works. All materials are made up of
atoms. An atom is like a miniature solar system.

The center of the atom is called the nucleus, which is made up of particles called protons and
neutrons. The proton has a positive electrical charge. The coulomb is the unit of measure for
electric charge. It would take 6.242 x 1018 protons to equal +1 coulomb. The neutron has no
charge; it is neutral.

Orbiting the nucleus are electrons, which have a negative charge. An electron has the same
magnitude of charge as the proton; however, the charge is negative instead of positive. Opposite
charges attract; therefore, the positive charge of the proton holds the electron in its orbit. An atom
will be neutral if it contains the same number of protons as electrons.

Flow of Electrons

Watch the vedio.

Knowing that the flow of electrons is electric current, imagine electric current flowing through a
wire. Wire, like all matter, is made up of atoms. Imagine that a wire is a long series of atoms. When
current flows through a wire, electrons are transferred from one atom in the series to the next.

Another good way to think of the flow of electrons is to think of the wire as a tube with electrons
flowing through it (just like water flows through a pipe). The electrons enter one end of the wire,
travel through the wire, and exit at the opposite end.

Current is represented by the letter “I” and is measured in amperes (A).

Electrical Potential

Watch the vedio.

When an atom loses or gains electrons, it becomes positively or negatively charged. This
imbalance in electrons creates an attraction between oppositely charged particles. The attraction
between negatively charged and positively charged atoms is called electrical potential. The greater
the imbalance of electrons, the greater the electrical potential becomes.

Electrical potential is the ability of one electrical charge to exert a force on another electrical
charge. Electrical potential between two points is measured in volts (E) and is often referred to as
voltage.

Current Flow Theory

Watch the vedio.

The conventional theory of current flow, also known as the Franklin Theory, states that electricity
flows from positive to negative. This theory is still supported by electrical workers and serves as
the basis for most electrical diagrams used in the automotive and heavy equipment industries. In
the example, the current flows from the positive battery terminal, through the circuit, and back to
the negative terminal.

Click on the "Conventional" button to see an illustration of the conventional current flow.

Electron Flow Theory

Watch the vedio.

The electronics industry and many schools have moved away from the conventional theory and
widely adopted the “electron flow theory.” This theory claims that current actually flows from
negative to positive.

While direction of current is important to devices such as diodes, it has no impact when computing
voltage, current, and resistance.

Click on the "Conventional" button or the "Electron" button to see an illustration of each theory.