What causes electricity?

Answer 1

To answer your question properly, a few explanations of atomic structure are in order first. An atom is made up of three main subatomic particles; a proton, a neutron, and an electron. The only exception to this rule is Hydrogen, but this is irrelevant for this discussion.

Inside of the atom is the nucleus, which contains the protons and neutrons. Neutrons carry no net electrical charge; hence they are neutral. Protons contain a positive (+) electrical charge. Finally, the electrons circle the outside of the nucleus and contain a negative (-) electrical charge. Though it is not really correct, an easy model to visualize this is to think of our sun as the nucleus and the 9 planets as electrons.

As the old saying goes, "opposites attract." This means that electrons are attracted to protons, protons are attracted to electrons, and neutrons are attracted to neither. Following this logic, electrons repel other electrons and protons repel other protons. This constant attraction and repulsion between the particles keeps an atom together.

Now, to answer your question of what causes electricity, simply put, it is electrons. There are two different types of electricity; static and dynamic. Static electricity is what we're all familiar with on a cold, dry day when we go to turn on a light switch and get zapped. The reason this happens is that there is a build up of electrons on our bodies due to the dry conditions. These electrons simply join other atoms and become "overcrowded." When we touch metal, they are rapidly released from our body in the form of a spark.

Dynamic electricity refers to all other forms that we're used to, such as what's running your computer, T.V., automobile, and cell phone. In this case, electrons actually "move" through the wires. The reason they move is similar to the reason why a ball roles down a hill. There is a difference in "heights" at each end of the wire, only in electrical terms, this is called a difference in "potential."

Think of what a battery is. There is a positive end and a negative end. But they are stationary on the battery and can never touch. However, if the two ends are connected by using a wire, electrons will have the ability to flow from negative to positive. Remember, opposites attract. What you see in the form of electricity, then, is simply the energy given up by electrons flowing through a wire because they are being attracted by protons. What happens if all of the electrons match up with all of the protons on the other side of the battery? The battery is dead.

Answer 2

We know that materials contains free electrons( especially conductors ) and that free charges are moving through the material in a random way. When we apply a potential difference of sufficient magnitude across the material, the randomly drifting( moving ) free charges will move in uniform manner so we get a net otput current which is called electricity.