does anyone have any clue how electricity works?

Question

I am thinking that energy from the sun runs through power lines and eventually makes it's way to certain things, but I really have no idea!

Answer 1

Today's electric power grid gathers energy from many different sources. Solar energy collected from large solar panels is one of them (albeit a small portion of our energy comes from this). Most other popular sources used to create electric power involve converting mechanical energy to electrical energy, like in a dam where the moving water pushes on the paddles of a turbine.

The first How Stuff Works link shows a very neat conceptual explanation of the electrical power grid.

As far as how electricity works in general, I would have to say the second link is pretty good. It gives a general overview of electricty and its relation under general electromagnetic phenomena.

Nevertheless, one should take an appropriate physics class to begin to fully understand how electricity works. If you are in high school or below (I am guessing this), I recommend taking a physics course if you want to understand this topic better. If electricity is very interesting to you and you have an aptitude for science and mathematics, a career track in electrical engineering would be rewarding.

Answer 2

I had to come back and change my response. I apologize in advance for being a little rude, but you really need to get into a physics class and some science classes. I read your response to a question and had to come back here to change my response. To be honest you need to hit the books, because you really don't understand some basic concepts. I am not saying this to be mean, so please do not take it that way.

This is your response to a question:

Well I think yes, that is true because the larger and thicker something is the more it weighs and it has more mass. So if you push they heavier mass off a cliff it will probably go faster and more powerfully than the smaller mass

You didn't understand the question you answered first of all. In addition there are a couple of things wrong with what you wrote. Just because something is bigger does not mean it weighs more or has a greater mass. Next, if you push two objects off a cliff they will travel at the same speed and hit at the same time in a vacuum. For example a feather and a 100 pound boulder.

There are many sources of information available on-line and you can learn from them. Spend less time on yahoo answers, unless you have a question on something you have done a little research first. If you have a problem understanding a concept many people here will try and help, but the true source of learning is when you search for the answer first. Best of Luck

Answer 3

There are different forms of energy. The sun's energy isn't immediately electrical.

Powerlines work on AC (Alternating Current). For example, a nuclear fission reactor generates heat which is added to water. The water is converted to steam which creates pressure. This pressure powers a magnetic turbine which rapidly (60 times per second in the US) fluctuates a potential difference across the wires. The electrons throughout the powerlines are forced to speed back and forth (not all the way) and this allows for a transfer of energy.

With a DC circuit, a static potential difference is created between the two terminals of the battery. Electrons flow from the point of higher potential to the point of lower potential. (Current in a DC circuit is actually opposite to the way electrons actually move - whomever assigned a negative charge to the electron upon its discovery was wrong).

I suggest you investigate the water analogy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_analogy
The links on the bottom are useful as well - if not better than the actual wiki

Answer 4

i'll make it really simple for u. electricity is when electrons move and give off energy. happy?