Charged particles, such as electrons and ions, flow through an electrical conductor or a vacuum. In practise, it is quantified as the net flow of electric charge through a surface or volume of interest. Charge carriers are the moving particles, which can be any of a number of different sorts depending on the conductor in question. Electrons are commonly used as charge carriers in electrical circuits. There are two types of electrons and holes in semiconductors. An electrolyte has ions as charge carriers, while plasma has both ions and electrons in abundance.
One coulomb per second of electric charge flows over a surface at the rate of one ampere per second, the SI unit for electric current. An SI basic unit is the ampere (symbol: A). An ammeter is used to measure the flow of electricity.
In motors, generators, inductors, and transformers, magnetic fields are utilised. Conductors, such as copper and aluminium, generate light in incandescent bulbs by generating Joules of heat. Electromagnetic waves are utilised in telecommunications to transmit information.
AC systems use alternating current (AC) in which the flow of electric charge alternates. In terms of electricity delivery, AC is the most popular kind. Sinusoidal waves are the most common in an AC power circuit, however triangle or square waves can also be used in specific situations. Alternating current may also be found in the transmission of audio and radio signals via electrical lines. In these applications, the objective is to recover encoded (or modulated) information from the AC signal.
Direct current (DC) on the other hand, refers to a system in which only one direction of charge transport is possible (sometimes called unidirectional flow). Battery, thermocouple, solar cell and commutator-type electric machinery of dynamo type generate direct current. A rectifier can be used to convert alternating electricity to direct current. Conductors, semiconductors, insulators, and even vacuums are all examples of materials where direct current can flow. Galvanic current was an archaic term for direct current.
Thunderstorms, static electricity, and the solar wind are all instances of electric current that may be observed in nature.
Conduction electrons in metal wires, such as those in long-distance power lines and the smaller wires within electrical and electronic equipment, are examples of electric currents created by humans. When a conductor is subjected to varying magnetic fields, eddy currents arise. Conductors exposed to electromagnetic waves generate electric currents, particularly on the surface. Using radio antennas, radio waves may be created by using oscillating electric currents.
Other kinds of electric current in electronics include the flow of electrons via resistors, the movement of ions in a battery, and the flow of holes in metals and semiconductors.
The flow of ions in neurons and nerves, which are responsible for both cognition and sensory experience, is a biological example of current.
Generator: A generator is a device that transforms mechanical power into electrical power that may be used in an external circuit in the generation of electricity. Even hand cranks may provide mechanical energy. Steam turbines are only one example of a mechanical energy source. In 1831, British physicist Michael Faraday created the first electromagnetic generator, the Faraday Disc. Electric power networks rely heavily on generators for their power supply.
There are numerous parallels between electric motors and generators when it comes to the reverse conversion of electrical energy to mechanical energy. When powered mechanically, a large number of motors can be used to create electricity.
Very important question:
Ohm’s law is not applicable for:
- insulators
- semi-conductors
- vaccuum tube all the above
- all the above
Electrostatic generators were created before the discovery of the link between magnetism and electricity. They used to move electrically charged belts, plates, and discs that transported charge to a high potential electrode. Both electrostatic induction and the triboelectric phenomenon were used to produce the charge. The voltage and current produced by these generators were astronomically high. As a result of their high voltages, electrostatic generators had limited power ratings and were never utilised to generate substantial amounts of electricity commercially. In addition to powering early X-ray tubes and some atomic particle accelerators, they had no further practical applications.
Michael Faraday established the operating concept of electromagnetic generators between 1831 and 1832. When a magnetic field is surrounded by an electrical conductor, an electromotive force is created. This is known as Faraday’s law. He also invented the Faraday disc, a sort of homopolar generator that uses a copper disc that rotates between the poles of a horseshoe magnet to generate electromagnetic energy. Only a very modest DC voltage was generated.
Electromagnetic self-rotors were invented by Nyos Jedlik in 1827, and he began working with them before Faraday. The fixed and rotating portions of the single-pole electric starter were both electromagnetic in the prototype. When dynamo self-excitation was discovered, it superseded permanent magnet designs. Also, he may have invented the dynamo in 1861, but he didn’t patent it because of the belief that he wasn’t the first person to think of it.
