Electrons has a vast history but I will blog about how electrons in motion excited me. In the early turn of the century Benjamin Franklin was one of the pioneers of electrons in motion. Benjamin Franklin had many talents but the one that interest me is electrons. On or about 1750 Benjamin Franklin erected a lighten rod on top of his house. A lighten rod is a metal pointed pole use to attract lighten bolts. The purpose of the lighten rod was to do experiments. One of these experiments is the ringing of a bell which was located inside his house. Every time a lighten strike came near or around his house a lighten bolt was attracted to the lighten rod. The electrons would connect with the lighten rod and travel through it. Connect to the lighten rod was a conductor which was connected to a bell and connected to the bell was another conductor that was connected to ground. The bell would ring each time electrons would pass by the bell. Benjamin Franklin wanted to enhance his experiments even more after that experiment with the bell. In 1759 Benjamin Franklin did his famous kite experiment with a metallic key connected to it. The kite was made with a very large silk handkerchief. Using a large silk handkerchief would prevent it from ripping like a paper one when it flew into the clouds. At one end of the kite was a sharp piece of wire and the other end was a tail with the metallic key connect to it. The key was connected to the ground .
Ground is essential to the flow of electrons In theory electrons flow from a negative charge particles to a positive charge particles. Well, ground is the positive charged particles in electrons. For example, lets look at two magnets side by side. Each labeled north and south pole or side. This means like charges repel each other and unlike charges attract each other in magnetic theory. Even though it is visible to the naked eye there are flux lines between the magnetic north side and the magnetic south side If I sprinkle very small metal shavings the flux lines would reveal themselves and become visible. This same behavior is how electron in motion behave,to a point, with its negative charge side and positive charged side. So, ground is the positive charged side in electron's flow. Therefore, the negative charges side will always seek out the positive charged side in electron's flow. Electrons travel through the air or through a conductor,wire. .Electrons are part of the atom that moves along a conductive material. In addition, the electrons that move about are free or loosely held by the atom. This useful motion is usually found inside wire or in a micro processor. There two are type forms of electrons in motion, one is static which everyone see mostly in a thunder storm and it is called lighting.This is a single electron.
Yes, there are two form of electrons which I stated before and it is static and dynamic. But I need to redirect my attention on why is it that the earth has a positive charged electrons. Did it just happen ?," No!".
In the world of electrons it starts,believe it or not, with the earth rotation and ours solar system. One of earth raw materials is iron and nickel. And as the earth rotates on molten liquid the iron and nickel is coupled or rubbed together to produced electrical energy. This coupling is called dynamo effect.
This reminds me of the law of conservation of energy and it states, that energy in an isolated system remains constant over time(it is said to be conserved over time). A consequence of this law is that energy, I repeat energy, can neither be created nor destroyed: it can only be transformed from one state to another. The only thing that can happen to energy in a closed system is that it can change form. For example, magnetic energy can become electrical energy. The field line in the above photo are similar to those of a simple bar magnet. It is well known that the axis of the north and south poles do not coincide with the magnetic north and south poles. A compass direction must be corrected by a fixed amount at given points to get the proper direction on earth. Ships at sea navigated by way of the magnetic north and south poles in conjunction with the true north and south pole. Also above you see Van Allen Radiation belt the fundamental property of magnetic field is that they exert forces on moving electrical charges. Thus, a magnetic field and trap charged particles such as electrons and protons as they are forced to execute a spiraling motion back and forth along the field line which also produce electrons on earth's ground..
Solar wind is another factor that establishes electrons in motion. Gases from the sun blow outward from the sun at about 400 km per seconds and that it varies in intensity with the amount of surface activity on the sun. The earth magnetic field shields it from much of the solar wind. When the solar wind encounter earth's magnetic field it is deflected like water around the bow or front of a ship.
The imaginary surface at which the solar wind is first deflected is called the bow shock. The corresponding region of space behind the bow shock and surrounding the earth is termed the magnetosphere; it represents a region of the space dominated by the earth magnetic field in the sense that it largely prevents the solar wind from entering. However, some of the high energy charged particles from the solar winds leak into the magnetosphere and are the source of the charged particles trapped in the Van Allen belts which builds on the electrons in motion on earth ground.
Another thing that excites me is how the electrons flow inside the wire. Imagine two or three standing between two bins fill with basketballs. The first person would pick up one basketball and pass it to the next person beside him or her until that basketball got into the empty bin. That is similar to the conductor passing electrons from atom to atom when current flow through the conductor. The progressive movement of the balls from bin to bin simulates the movement of electrons from bin to bin. In a conductor as a free electron leaves it original atom and moves to a adjacent atom, it is replaced by another electron from another atom. This process is multiplied millions of times when there is current flowing through a conductor. This is how I view a wire and it's electrons in motion.
Voltage is another property derived form electron in motions. Volts is named after an inventor Alessandro Volta. Volta invented the battery and electric capacitor. Electrons inside the battery is stored energy and is developed chemically. The solutions and matter inside the battery react chemically. The electrochemical device consisting of a positive electrode(metal rod) and a negative electrode( metal rod) is submerge in a solution call electrolyte. Electrolyte is a electrically conducting liquid or paste(usually an acid). These three elements will react with each other and I have electrons in motion. In addition to batteries there are three more energy source that produces voltage. They are generator which changes mechanical energy to electrical energy. There is also solar energy which changes sun light into electrical energy and finally there is thermocouple which uses heat energy to produce electrical energy.
Resistance is also use with the flow of electrons. Imaging if I had a smooth piece of wood and I rub it with my hand it would glide across the wood. If I took a piece of sand paper and rub it against that same piece of wood it would take some effort to rub across the wood. That is how current flows through a wire(conductor). Infact, when current flows through a wire it encounters molecular resistance opposing current flow. The unit for resistance is ohm after the scientist George Simon Ohm. An ohm of resistance is the amount of electrical resistance that limits the current to one ampere when one volt of electromotive force is applied.
I said that electrons flow as current has opposition to current flow through different types of material and it is called resistance. The material used to conduct electron(current) varies in conductivity level. They are metal such as silver, copper, gold and aluminum. Their form can also varies, for instance, solid which I think is well know to most people. But there is also braided and stranded which is used when more flexibility has to be used to get the job done to conduct electrons. I am bringing this up because there is a superconductor which I do not think most people are aware of for conducting electrons. It work like this the resistance of most metal conductors increases as their operating temperature is increased. However, in 1911 is was found that cooling the temperature of certain metal conductors to almost zero causes virtually all their resistance to current flow disappears. The resistance approaches zero ohms. The production and study of these super cold temperature is called cryogenics. Once this temperature become stable enough to use at room temperature it will change the electromagnet and computer industries.
Shock is a hazard from electrons in motion. That is why insulation was conceived to protect and control an electric shock. Remember a atom with free electron on it outer shell caused current flow. Now with insulation a atom with no free electrons on it outer shell does not have any movement of it electrons. Example of insulated material are glass,plastic, and ceramic.
Another function electrons in motion, is part of, is semi-conductors. A semi-conductor is half-way between a conductor and a insulators. In a atom the outer shell determines the function of that electron. The half way point is about 4 electrons rotating around a atom. Germanium and silicon is a example of semi-conductor material. These element is what is use to form most the microprocessor chips in computer.
Therefore, let look at the usefulness electrons have in the home starting with the light bulb. Electrons as I stated before generates heat as it does work. So when the electron go through a filament, the filament get red hot which causes light in the home ,office and street. This light has took the world out of the dark age literally.
