Magnetism Essay

It is the reason for the great technological movement of the 21st century. Its applications are used on a day-to-day basis. What is this form of energy? It is electricity. Electricity is defined as a form of energy from the existence of charged particles. The charged particles are either positive or negative (protons or electrons). Moreover, through the same principal, the phenomenon of magnetism is also applied on a day-to-day basis. Magnetism is defined as either an attractive or repulsive force between objects due to an electric charge. To thoroughly understand the strength of electricity and magnets, it is vital to first be cognizant of where and when they were discovered. The history of electricity is quite astonishing. Because electricity

Figure 1 illustrates the design of the batteries discovered in ancient Persia. Fast forwarding to the 17th century, it was “in the year 1600, English Physician William Gilbert used the Latin word “electricus” to describe the force that certain substances exert when rubbed against each other” (Atkinson, 2014). Though Benjamin Franklin is largely accredited with the discovery of electricity, it was “Italian physicist Alessandro Volta [whom] discovered that particular chemical reactions could produce electricity” (Atkinson, 2014). In “1800, he constructed an early electric battery that produced a steady current” (Atinkson, 2014). To clarify, current is defined as the “rate at which charge flows through its surface” (Serway and Vuille, 2011). Volta ‘s battery was only the beginning. Michael Faraday made electricity more accessible when he “created the electric dynamo (a crude power generator)” (Atinkson, 2014). This invention “solved the problem of generating electric current in an ongoing and practical way” (Atinkson, 2014). Faraday’s solution helped Thomas Edison invent his famous light bulb because it was the “first practical bulb that would light for hours on end” (Atinkson, 2014). Edison is

To explain what exactly Tesla and Edison did, it is important to know that in a DC system, electrons flow only in one direction. Where as in an AC system, the electric current reverses its direction many times during the time frame. To conclude, the use of electricity came from no one person, but actually a combination of quite a few intellectuals. Nonetheless, the reality of how electricity behaves is just as important as its history. Though there is still much to know about the nature of electricity, there is a basic understanding of its essence. As mentioned previously, electricity is a form of energy from the existence of charged particles. To thoroughly understand electricity, it is imperative to first analyze electric force. Coulomb’s law summarizes the electric force between two objects. Coulomb’s law is written as F= k_e (|q_1 ||q_2 |)/r^2 , where ke is 8.9875 x 109 N x m2 /C2. As shown in the equation, the separation distance of the charged particles is on the bottom of the fraction. This means that a greater distance would yield a lower force. Electricity can be classified in two different ways: static electricity or current electricity. In static electricity, there is a transfer of electrons between