Negative and Positive Polarities

We see the effects of electricity in a battery, static charge, lightning, radio, television, and many other applications. What do they all have in common that is electrical in nature? The answer is basic particles of electric charge with opposite polarities. All the materials we know, including solids, liquids, and gases, contain two basic particles of electric charge; the electron and proton. An electron is the smallest amount of electric charge having the characteristic called negative polarity. The proton is a basic particle with positive polarity.

Actually, the negative and positive polarities indicate two opposite characteristic that seem to be fundamental in all physical applications. Just magnets have north and south poles. Electric charges have the opposite polarities labeled negative and positive. The opposing characteristics provide a method of balancing one against the other to explain different physical effects.

It is the arrangement of electrons and protons as basic particles of electricity that determines the electrical characteristic of all substances. As an example, the paper has electrons and protons in it. There is no evidence of electricity, though, because the number of electrons equals the number of protons. In that case the opposite electrical forces cancel, making the paper electrically neutral. The neutral condition means that opposing forces are exactly balanced, without any net effect either way.

When we want to use the electrical forces the associated with the negative and positive charges in all matter, work must be done to separate the electrons and protons. Changing the balance of forces produces evidence of electricity. A battery, for instance, can do electrical work because its chemical energy separates electric charges to produce an excess of protons at its positive terminal. With separate and opposite charges at the two terminals, electric energy can be supplied to a circuit connected to the battery.

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Electricity

Electricity is an invisible force that can produce heat, light, motion, and many other physical effects. The force is an attraction or repulsion between electric charges. More specifically, electricity can be explained in terms of electric charge, current, voltage, and resistance. The corresponding electrical units are the coulomb for measuring charge, the ampere for current, voltage for potential difference, and the ohm for resistance. A basic element of electricity is the electric circuit. A circuit is a closed path that allows for the movement of charges. Current is the name given to the movement of charges. The study of electricity involves the behavior of charges, current, and voltage with the components that make up the circuit.

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