Electric Facts
Electricity is an amazing concept to learn about. People have been fascinated by it since the first person saw lightning flash in the sky. Since then, people have been looking for ways to harness the power.
We use electricity every day in our lives for almost everything. Most of us don’t know how it works, we just use it. We would all like to know a little more about it as we use it.
We want to learn more about the power that it brings us. We want information about vibb strøm an energy company in Norway that can help us learn more about it. Electricity is a fascinating subject.
This article will give you some facts about electricity and how we use it. It will go a little into the history behind it. You can also do more research to find the information you are seeking.
Electricity Information
- First Contact with Electricity – The first contact that humans had with electricity was through electric fish. This goes way back to ancient Egypt in 2700BC. Ancient Egyptians called this electric catfish the Thunderer of the Nile. They considered this fish to be the protector of the other fish in the Nile.
These ancient people used a torpedo fish called an electric marine ray as a treatment for epilepsy. Ancient doctors used electric catfish to cure headaches. Common people would pour water over these electric fish to receive a shock.
- Electric Currents and the Speed of Light – Electric currents don’t travel at the speed of light. Electricity doesn’t work in a vacuum; it needs a conductor. Electricity happens because of the movement of electrons in a conductor.
Drift velocity is the actual speed of electricity instead of a single electron’s speed. The actual speed is the average speed of electrons when they are connected to an electrical field. This is about ninety percent of the speed of light.
- Benjamin Franklin – Benjamin Franklin discovered that lightning had electricity, he did not invent it like some people believe. He merely flew a kite in 1752 to prove the lightning was electricity. He attached a wire to a hemp string to be the conductor.
The kite picked up static electricity, and the spark was felt through the hemp string. He was not directly struck by lightning as some people believe. That would probably have killed him and he wouldn’t have been able to tell the story.
- Statue of Liberty – The Statue of Liberty was the first lighthouse to use electric power. This happened in 1986. Its torch can be seen from as far away as thirty kilometers.
It functioned as a lighthouse from 1886 to 1902. It used a generator during these times to function. The first lighthouse worldwide to use power was the Souter Lighthouse in the United Kingdom.
- Brooklyn Bridge – The Brooklyn Bridge was the first one to use power in 1883. The bridge had seventy blue and white arc lamps that were spaced one hundred feet apart. These were placed on the promenade to light up the structure.
President Chester Arthur and Governor Grover Cleveland celebrated the grand opening in 1883. This made it the first one to use electric power at that time. Many bridges now have power and are illuminated for miles.
- Electric Cars – In the 1880’s there was an influx of electric cars. Sometime in the early 1800’s, Robert Anderson invented the first successful electric car. This was a carriage that ran on galvanic battery cells.
Other men in other countries also invented electric vehicles. This includes Thomas Parker in England who invented an electric locomotive. Another American inventor, William Morrison, also invented another electric carriage that was in a parade in 1888.
- Electrical Appliances – Since power was first discovered, many inventors have tried to make electrical appliances. One such inventor was Thomas Ahearn who made an electric oven. Another inventor made an electric stove – this was William Hadaway.
Electric stoves didn’t become popular in the early 1900’s. This is when electricity became more common. The most common stove at that time didn’t have a thermostat – it used a variety of heating elements to control the temperature.
- Thomas Edison Wasn’t the Only One to Invent a Light Bulb – Thomas Edison was one of the people who invented a light bulb, but he was not the only one. There were many inventors who contributed to the light bulb we know today. These led to the incandescent bulb that many people still use.
Thomas Edison’s bulb had higher electrical resistance and were later used as commercial bulbs. They were suitable for generating a higher volume of light with an electrical charge. These bulbs have turned into the LED bulbs that we know today.
- Our Brains Use Electricity – Our brains transmit its signals through electricity. The cells in our brain and the cells in our body communicate through this. Our body’s neurons have particles made of ions that move around in the outer membrane of the cell.
Currents move from one neuron to another neuron by releasing neurotransmitters. These are chemical signals that are released by the nerve cell. It then will travel across the synapses to another neuron. This will generate electrical wavelengths.
- Supermarket Refrigerators – Supermarket refrigerators use enough energy to power up eight hundred thousand homes. Refrigerators in general tend to use a lot of energy in the world. They use about one percent of the energy that is used worldwide.
- Iceland Uses the Most Energy – Research shows that Iceland has surpassed Norway and Qatar in energy use per person. Some of the reasons behind this are the cold weather that is year-round. Every home and business need to be heated all year round.
- LED Bulbs Are Better – LED bulbs use seventy-five percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. A regular incandescent bulb with filaments needs four times the power to work. This makes them less effective.
LED bulbs also last longer, meaning that you will need to buy fewer of them over time. This can save you both money and energy by buying these bulbs. That is one reason incandescent bulbs are being phased out.
- Electricity Affects Our Heartbeats – Electricity can affect our heart as well as our brain. Our heart needs a source of energy plus oxygen to work properly. That is why some parts of the heart produce electricity. Generation of energy begins in the right side of the heart called the Sinus node.
Our heart generates electricity sixty to one hundred times per minute. Once it does it moves through the conduction pathways. This is why pacemakers work in the human body.
- Microwaves Use Very Little Energy – The clock on the microwave uses more energy than it takes to warm up a small portion of food. Microwaves use less energy than warming up the same food over your stove – by eighty percent. This is according to the Energy Star program.
- Augustus D Waller –Augustus D. Waller was the first one to demonstrate the electrocardiogram or ECG. This is a simple test to measure the heart’s electrical activity. It does not send electrical shocks to your body.
ECG machines have wires attached to them that are then attached to the body in different areas. This measures the activity in your heart. This shows how active your heart is.
- Birds and Electrical Lines – Birds don’t get electrocuted when they sit on electrical lines: https://energized.edison.com/stories/why-can-birds-sit-safely-on-power-lines. This is because the birds don’t make a complete the electrical circuit. If humans touched the line, they would be electrocuted because they would complete the circuit.
Conclusion
These are just a few interesting facts about electricity. There is so much more you can learn if you are interested in it. You can do more research to find more interesting information.
