Electricity --- ?

[Akhan 0]

Electricity (from New Latin ēlectricus, "amber-like") is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognisable 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:

Electric charge â a property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic interactions. Electrically charged matter is influenced by, and produces, electromagnetic fields.
Electric current â a movement or flow of electrically charged particles, typically measured in amperes.
Electric field â an influence produced by an electric charge on other charges in its vicinity.
Electric potential â the capacity of an electric field to do work, typically measured in volts.
Electrical energy â the energy made available by the flow of electric charge through an electrical conductor.
Electric power â the rate at which electric energy is converted to or from another form of energy, such as light, thermal energy, or mechanical energy.
Electromagnetism â a fundamental interaction between the electric field and the presence and motion of electric charge.
Electricity has been studied since antiquity, though scientific advances were not forthcoming until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It would remain however until the late nineteenth century that engineers were able to put electricity to industrial and residential use, a time which witnessed a rapid expansion in the development of electrical technology. 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
That certain objects such as rods of amber could be rubbed with cat's fur and attract light objects like feathers was known to the ancient Greeks, Phoenicians, Parthians and Mesopotamians. Thales of Miletos conducted a series of experiments in 600 BC, from which he believed that friction rendered amber magnetic, in contrast to minerals such as magnetite, which needed no rubbing.[2][3] Thales was incorrect in believing the attraction was due to a magnetic effect, but later science would prove a link between magnetism and electricity.

A controversial claim is made that the Parthians and Mesopotamians had some knowledge of electroplating, based on the 1936 discovery of the Baghdad Battery, which resembles a galvanic cell, though this claims lacks evidence supporting the exact nature of the artefact, and whether it was electrical in nature.[4]

Electricity would remain little more than an intellectual curiosity for over two millennia until 1600, when the English physician William Gilbert made a careful study of magnetism, distinguishing the lodestone effect from the static electricity produced by rubbing amber.[2] He coined the New Latin word electricus ("of amber" or "like amber", from ηλεκτρον [elektron], the Greek word for "amber") to refer to the property of attracting small objects after being rubbed.[5] This association gave rise to the English words "electric" and "electricity", which made their first appearance in print in Sir Thomas Browne's Pseudodoxia Epidemica of 1646.[6]

Further work was conducted by Otto von Guericke, Robert Boyle, Stephen Gray and C. F. du Fay. In the 18th century, Benjamin Franklin conducted extensive research in electricity to develop his theories on the relationship between lightning and static electricity. In an experiment of June 1752, he attached a metal key to the bottom of a dampened kite string and flew the kite in a storm-threatened sky.[7] He observed a succession of sparks jumping from the key to the back of his hand that showed him that lightning was indeed electrical in nature.[8] This famous experiment lit the interest of later scientists whose work provided the basis for modern electrical technology. In 1783 Luigi Galvani discovered bioelectricity, demonstrating that electricity was the medium by which nerve cells passed signals to the muscles. Alessandro Volta's battery, or voltaic pile, of 1800, made from alternating layers of zinc and copper, provided scientists with a reliable source of electrical energy. AndrÊ-Marie Ampère discovered the relationship between electricity and magnetism in 1820; Michael Faraday invented the electric motor in 1821, and Georg Ohm mathematically analysed the electrical circuit in 1827.[9]

While it had been the early nineteenth century that had seen rapid progress in electrical science, the late nineteenth century would see the greatest progress in electrical engineering. Through such giants as Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison, George Westinghouse, Werner von Siemens, Alexander Graham Bell and Lord Kelvin, electricity was turned from a scientific curiosity into an essential tool for modern life, becoming a driving force for the Second Industrial Revolution

Thales' experiments with amber rods were the first studies into the production of electrical energy. While this method, now known as the triboelectric effect, is capable of lifting light objects and even generating sparks, it is extremely inefficient. It was not until the invention of the voltaic pile in the eighteenth century that a viable source of electricity became available. The voltaic pile, and its modern descendant, the electrical battery, store energy chemically and make it available on demand in the form of electrical energy. The battery is a versatile and very common power source which is well-suited to many consumer applications, but it is incapable of supplying large quantities of energy. For this purpose electrical energy must be generated and transmitted in bulk.

Electrical energy is usually generated by electro-mechanical generators powered by combustion of fossil fuels, or the heat released from nuclear reactions, but also from other sources such as kinetic energy extracted from wind or flowing water. Such generators bear no resemblance to Faraday's homopolar disc generator of 1831, but they still rely on his electromagnetic principle that a conductor linking a changing magnetic field induces a potential difference across its ends. The invention in the late nineteenth century of the transformer meant that electricity could be generated at centralised power stations, benefiting from economies of scale, and be transmitted across countries with increasing efficiency.[38] Since electrical energy cannot easily be stored in quantities large enough to meet demands on a national scale, at all times exactly as much must be produced as is required. This requires electricity utilities to make careful predictions of their electrical loads, and maintain constant co-ordination with their power stations. A certain amount of generation must always be held in reserve to cushion an electrical grid against inevitable disturbances and losses.

Demand for electricity grows with great rapidity as a nation modernises and its economy develops. The United States showed a 12% increase in demand during each year of the first three decades of the twentieth century,[39] a rate of growth that is now being experienced by emerging economies such as those of India or China.[40][41] Concerns about the environmental impact made by the generation of electricity has led to an increased focus on generation from renewable sources, in particular from wind power and hydropower.

[toby 0]

Wow.. you didn't quite get the point of these forums. Read the annoucements, they are supposed to be quality posts with stuff that isn't your own in quotes.

[altimit 0]

I wonder if this would be a violation of GDFL and copyright, seeing that it has been taken in full and in verbatim from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electricity, with no attribution?

[faulty.lee 0]

I really hate ppl doing that all the time. It's not about copying, it's the fact that they simply post anything just to get a free hosting, without understanding the actually meaning behind all this. They can get their hosting off the ground quite easily, but later to keep posting to maintain the point, they'll be in pain. Then will start to wine and complaint about the system.I don't expect everyone to really understand, but at least try to. Don't do it blindly

[polarysekt 0]

I found this one cuz I saw an article about Spy-- ... I thought it was something about Spy++ which comes with MSVStudio.... totally didn't expect to see a completely copied wikipedia entry...this bores me... come on pakistan

[tansqrx 0]

Just be careful. It has been said in the past that when offending posts are taken down you loose your credits (plus penalty). This not only applies to the original poster but also anyone who posts in that thread. I know that I am also at risk but it is worth it just to make the reminder.