Physical phenomena associated with the presence and flow of electric charge is known as electricity. Electricity and electrical phenomenon have a lot of applications in our day to day life and they also gives a wide variety of well-known effects, such as lightning, static electricity, electromagnetic induction and the flow of electrical current.
- Electricity occurs due to several types :
- Electric charge: a property of some subatomic particles, which determines their electromagnetic interactions.
- Electric current: a movement or flow of electrically charged particles, typically measured in amperes.
- Electric field: an especially simple type of electromagnetic field produced by an electric charge even when it is not moving (i.e., there is no electric current). The electric field produces a force on other charges in its vicinity. Moving charges additionally produce a magnetic field.
- Electric potential: the capacity of an electric field to do work on an electric charge, typically measured in volts.
- In this chapter we will study about electricity.
When current flows through a conductor, heat energy is generated in the conductor. The heating effect of an electric current depends on three factors:
- The resistance, R of the conductor. A higher resistance produces more heat.
- The time, t for which current flows. The longer the time the larger the amount of heat produced
- The amount of current, I. the higher the current the larger the amount of heat generated.
Hence the heating effect produced by an electric current, I through a conductor of resistance, R for a time, t is given by H = I2Rt. This equation is called the Joule’s equation of electrical heating.