Who Invented Electricity?

Are you looking for an easy way to teach your child about electricity? We’ve put together a set of free materials that parents and teachers can use right away. In this lesson, your child will dive into the fascinating world of electromagnetism.

We’ll explore how tiny particles carry charges and flow through closed circuits. Explore science in a more engaging way with captivating 3D videos and interactive quizzes. Download our app to get started!

What You Will Learn From This Lesson

What is static electricity?

Electricity starts with tiny particles inside all objects that carry electric charges. These charges can be positive, represented by a plus sign, or negative, represented by a minus sign.

When an object has an equal amount of positive and negative charges, it is considered electrically neutral. However, when these charges are not equal, the object becomes charged.

One common way objects become charged is through rubbing, which creates static electricity. For example, when fur is rubbed against a rubber rod, negative charges move from the fur to the rod.

This causes the rod to become negatively charged and the fur to become positively charged. This buildup of static electricity is exactly what causes the small shocks you might feel when touching certain surfaces.

How do simple circuits create a flow of power?

While static electricity involves charges staying in one place, a closed circuit allows electricity to flow continuously. A closed circuit creates a steady stream of moving charged particles that can power up electrical devices.

To work properly, a closed circuit must be complete and unbroken, moving from a power source through a loop and back again. A functioning closed circuit is made up of four essential parts:

• The Battery: This acts as the pump that pushes the charged particles to flow continuously.
• The Wire: This provides the path for the electricity to travel along.
• The Switch: This acts as a gate that can be opened to stop the flow or closed to switch it on.
• The Electrical Device: This is any tool that uses electricity to work, such as a fan, a refrigerator, or a light bulb.

We use these circuits every day in items like flashlights and electric cars. In an electric car, the battery, wires, motor, and switch all work together to maintain the flow of energy needed for motion.

Fun Fact

• A static ball is a “charge-maker” that fills your body with so many electrons that your hair tries to run away!
• The “zap” you feel after walking on carpet is actually a tiny, harmless bolt of lightning jumping from your finger.
• A closed circuit is an “energy loop” that electricity must follow to make your lights glow or your fan spin.
• If there is even a tiny crack or a cut in the wire, the circuit is “open” and the electricity stops instantly.
• Your home is connected to a power plant by a “giant loop” of wires that can be hundreds of miles long!

Vocabulary

• Static Electricity: A buildup of electric charges that stay in one place, often created when objects are rubbed together, causing an unequal balance of positive and negative charges.
• Closed Circuit: A complete and unbroken “energy loop” that allows charged particles to flow continuously to power electrical devices.
• Electric Charges: Tiny particles inside all objects that can be positive (plus sign) or negative (minus sign); their movement is the foundation of electricity.
• Electrically Neutral: A state where an object has an equal amount of positive and negative charges, resulting in no overall electrical charge.
• Battery: The component of a circuit that acts like a “pump,” providing the push needed for charged particles to flow continuously.
• Switch: A device that acts as a gate in a circuit; it can be “opened” to stop the flow of electricity or “closed” to turn it on.
• Open Circuit: A state where there is a crack or a cut in the path (the wire), causing the electricity to stop flowing instantly.