Electricity

Watch a timeline of the history of electricity, from observations of static electricity in antiquity to the War of the Currents—a rivalry to establish the ideal system for electric grids.

Simulate the build-up and discharge of static electricity through friction by dragging the arm and leg of 'John Travoltage' along surfaces.

Electricity can be lethal because it can disrupt the nervous system, which controls critical bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate, which rely on electrical signals between cells.

The speed of electricity may refer to the movement of electrons, which is on the order of a fraction of a millimeter per second, or energy, which is near the speed of light.

Electricity can flow indefinitely along a ring of superconducting material, which provides zero resistance to the movement of charges due to quantum effects.

On average, the human body produces about 100 watts of electricity—enough to power a light bulb—but some people can produce over 2,000 watts in short bursts, such as when sprinting.

Electrogenic animals generate their own electricity within an electric organ by changing the pattern of electrical charges in disc-shaped cells called electrocytes.

Electricity is produced when the ends of a battery are connected by a conducting wire, triggering chemical reactions that release the energy stored in chemical bonds.

In 1880, Jacques and Pierre Curie discovered that electricity could be produced by striking certain materials—the piezoelectric effect—a phenomenon that is seen in barbecue lighters.

In the photovoltaic effect, light generates electricity by creating a charge imbalance after knocking electrons out of atoms from semiconducting materials.