Greetings again to all the followers and readers, reviewing a little my blog I have noticed that I have not dedicated many articles to my professional career, thinking about that I have decided that it is time to share a little about what I have learned throughout my studies and work experience hoping that it can be of benefit to you. In this sense I will begin by sharing with you a course on basic electricity, then as God allows me I will publish advanced topics, the idea is that everyone can learn, even those who are totally unaware of the subject. In this post I share the definition of electricity.
Definition: An energy form based on the fact that matter has both positive charges (protons) and negative charges (electrons), which can manifest at rest, as static electricity, or in motion, as an electric current, and which gives rise to light, heat, magnetic fields, chemical movements and applications.
It manifests itself in three main ways:
Electrostatic: when a body has a positive or negative charge, but does not move anywhere. For example, rub a plastic pen with a cloth to attract bits of paper.
Direct Current (DC): When electrons always move in the same direction, from negative to positive pole. Batteries, mobile phone and car batteries produce DC, and also use it but transformed from AC to DC, televisions, computers, electronic devices, etc.
Alternating current (AC): It is not a true current, because the electrons do not circulate in a single direction, but alternating, ie changing direction about 50 times per second, so they oscillate, and so there is a change of poles in the plug. This type of current is used in homes, industries, etc., as it is easier to transport.
Examples of use of current types: There are items such as light bulbs in the house, electric motors in the washing machine, etc., that work directly with alternating current (AC). Household light bulbs do not actually illuminate constantly but switch on and off 50 (60 in the US) times in a second due to the alternating polarity, only our eyes do not perceive it. On the other hand, the light bulbs of a flashlight illuminate constantly when they are powered by DC batteries, or like electronic devices such as television, computers, which, although connected to AC power, transform this current to DC power via a transformer or power supply to operate. When charging mobile phones, a transformer (voltage) + rectifier (polarity) is also used to pass the AC to DC.
- Luminous and Calorific: Light and heat effects are often related to each other. For example: a lamp gives off light as well as heat, and an electric heater gives off heat as well as light. As the current circulates, the electrons that make up the current collide with the atoms of the conductor and lose energy, which is transformed and lost in the form of heat. From these facts we can deduce that, if we can get an electrical conductor (cable) to heat up a lot without it burning, that filament could give us light; this is what the lamp is based on.
- Magnetic: How can you get a magnet? By winding a conductor around a metal bar, and circulating an electric current, i.e. an electromagnet. Another activity: it brings the needle of a compass (which is a magnet) closer to an electric wire. It deviates? Why? Yeah, it's deviating. Because the electric current that passes through this cable generates a magnetic field around it, which attracts the compass needle.
- Dynamic: consists of the production of movement, as is the case with an electric motor.
- Chemical: is the one that gives rise to the charging and discharging of the electric batteries. It is also used in metal, chrome and gold coatings, by electrolysis.
In the end, it is only necessary to invent a device that is capable of transforming electrical energy into that other energy that we need: lamps, motors, electromagnets, radiators, cookers, irons and others.
