Chapter 2
CURRENTS
It’s easy to find examples of static electricity all around us, from lightning to the static we can create on our own bodies. But what about the electricity that keeps the lights on and powers all our electronic devices? With static electricity, electrons build up and stay where they are until they touch another object and jump over. But with dynamic electricity, electrons are always moving. And this constant motion creates an electrical current, or a stream of charged particles, and that’s what we use to power our lives.
ESSENTIAL QUESTION How is the electricity we use to power things such as appliances different from static electricity?
You might think of it like water flowing from a faucet to the end of a garden hose when you turn the spigot. Electricity also moves from one point to another.
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