What are atoms and what is their role in electricity?

Answer 1

Practically speaking, we daily use so many things. We use vessels, paper, a pen to write over it, we inhale air which is a must to live, we eat food, drink liquids including water, we wear so many items etc etc.

All these material things are made up of elements which may exist as single entity or combined with other elements.

For example, we need oxygen to survive. Oxygen is a gas consisting two atoms of oxygen element. We give out carbon di oxide. It has carbon element but one only atom and oxygen element but with two atoms. Thus it is denoted as CO2.

If two or more atoms of same or different elements combine to exist, then it is named as molecule.

Nitrogen gas is dominant in our atmosphere and it is a molecule having two atoms of nitrogen element.

Water, that we drink unavoidably, is a molecule consisting of two elements. One is hydrogen and the other is oxygen element. One atom of oxygen seems combined with two atoms of hydrogen element. So H2O.

Food stuff, of course, is an organic molecule consisting of many more atoms of different elements. Paper, too, is an organic molecule.

The basic elements have been arranged with their atomic number ordered in a table knows as Periodic Table.

Atomic number, simply, gives the number of protons present in the central core, called as, nucleus of the atom.

In this core, protons are present along with neutrons. Proton has one unit of positive charge and neutron is neutral, not having any charge.

The negatively charged particles named as electron go round this nucleus. These electrons go in different orbits having different radii. Generally the number of protons in the nucleus will be equal to the number of electrons outside and hence atom as a whole becomes neutral.

These electrons play an important role in electricity. These electrons in the outer most orbit are having so much of freedom to come out of the grip of the positively charged nucleus. Hence named as free electrons.

When we rub glass rod with a silk cloth, then some of these free electrons in the glass are easily wiped out and they go to the silk. Therefore, an imbalance comes into play and thus glass becomes positively charged and silk negatively charged.

This is known as static electricity.

In case of diluted sulphuric acid, 2H+ and SO4 - - ions are formed because of transaction of two electrons right from each two hydrogen atoms to one sulphate radical.

So, as we dip zinc rod, which is made up of zinc atoms only, in dilute sulphuric acid, then core of some of the zinc atoms are attracted towards the negatively charged sulphate ions and so leaving electrons along with the other zinc atoms. So Zn rod becomes negative.

If suppose a copper rod is dipped in the same dilute sulphuric acid, copper would lose two electrons and thus it becomes positively charged.

Thus negatively charged Zn plate and positively charged copper plate would have a potential difference almost 1.08 V.

This automatic potential is named as emf of the cell.

When a bulb is connected to it using a conduction wire, then free electrons in the connecting wire will be driven towards positive copper plate by the negatively charged Zinc rod.

There fore electrons move right from zinc to copper plates. Hence conventional electric current flows in the opposite direction of the movement of electrons.

This is current electricity.

Hope this much is enough.