Electricity is one of the great conveniences of our time and has become a necessity in our busy modern world. But aside from knowing that Ben Franklin discovered that lightning is made up of electricity, few people really understand what it is.
“When people have a basic understanding of how electricity works, it’s easier for them to recognize the steps they can take to reduce the potential dangers,” says Rick Coons, CEO at Indiana Electric Cooperatives.
To understand electricity, you need to know some very basic science. Everything around us is made up of atoms, which are particles that are so small that they can’t be seen. Every atom is actually a group of even smaller particles, and one of those particles is called the electron. When electrons move from one location to another, their movement creates the energy that we call electricity.
Use Ben Franklin’s discovery as an example. During a storm, the clouds are filled with extra electrons. When a group of them finds a path from the cloud to the ground, the energy from their movement is seen as a bright flash that we call lightning. Getting a spark from a doorknob after walking on a carpeted floor is a much smaller example of the same process. The friction of walking across the carpet creates extra electrons in your body, and when they jump to the doorknob, you see and feel the spark caused by their movement.
So how can these little electrons actually hurt people or damage property? “The more electrons that move, the greater the amount of energy they give off,” explains Coons. “In addition to producing very bright light, that energy can also give off a substantial amount of heat, which explains why electrical shocks often burn people and why lightning strikes can set trees and buildings on fire.”
The movement of all those electrons can have a significant effect on other electrons. The human body’s nervous system is actually an electrical system. Our nerves are basically a grid that carries electric messages all around our body. If we step on a nail, they send an electrical message to the brain that we’re in pain, and the brain sends an electrical message to our hands so we remove the nail. But if the body receives a huge, unexpected burst of extra electrons, it can disrupt that entire process. An electrical shock can disrupt the signals from the brain that tell the heart to beat, so it stops. If that happens and the heart doesn’t get another signal to resume beating, the person will die. Even when electric shocks do not kill people, they can cause everything from muscle spasms to breathing problems.
Knowing how electrons move is the key to protecting yourself. “Electrons always want to move from a source to the ground and they will find the fastest route,” explains Coons. “If a material allows that travel to happen easily, we call it a conductor, because it conducts the flow of electricity. Steel and copper are great conductors. So is water, and since the human body is mostly water, the body becomes a very effective conductor. If you touch a source of electricity and a connection to the ground at the same time, electricity will flow through you.”
SOURCES: Electrical Safety Foundation International, Pacific Gas & Electric, Salt River Project.
