Electricity has been around hundreds, perhaps thousands of years before man has ever even thought about it. It can occur naturally, like in animals or lightning.
- Electrical energy travels at the speed of light – approximately 186,000 miles per second.
- Contrary to popular belief, Thomas Edison didn't "invent" the light bulb. After working on the project for one and a half years, he achieved success when an incandescent lamp with a filament of carbonized sewing thread burned for thirteen and a half hours.
- Electricity tries to find the easiest path to the ground.
- Benjamin Franklin didn’t discover electricity – but he did prove that lightning is a form of electrical energy.
- Electricity occurs in nature – lightning, static electricity and in animals like electric eels.
- Electricity can be produced from coal, gas, water, wind, the sun, or even garbage!
- Lightning has been observed within the atmospheres of other planets, such as Venus, Jupiter and Saturn.
- Trees are frequent conductors of lightning to the ground. Since sap is a poor conductor, its electrical resistance causes it to be heated explosively into steam, which blows off the bark outside the lightning's path.
- How do birds sit safely on electric power lines?
This is possible because a bird only touches one line. If the bird were to touch another line or pole the electricity would travel through the bird, either to the ground or another wire.
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Experiments & Activities
