Electricity and its sources

Electricity is also a kind of energy. Electrical energy can easily be converted into light energy, heat energy, chemical energy and mechanical energy. Today electricity has become very essential energy in the world. We cannot think of modern life without electricity. We use electricity for lighting, cooking, driving vehicles, making electro magnet, running television and computers etc. Various sources of electricity can be seen. In our daily life we use large number of modern appliances like television, computer, calculators, refrigerator that require electricity current for their operation. So we need constant source of electricity to operate these appliances.

The device which produces electricity is called sources lf electricity. There are three major sources of electricity.

1.       Cell

2.       Photocell

3.       Dynamo or generator

Cell

A cell is a device which converts chemical energy into electricity. Simple and dry ells are example of cells.

Simple Cell

It consists of a glass vessel containing dilute sulphuric acid. Two plates of copper and zinc are dipped in the solution. The zinc plate acts as negative electrode and copper plate acts as positive electrode. As a copper wire connects the two electrodes to an electric bulb, the bulb begins to glow.

Dry Cell

We use dry cells in torchlight, radio, camera and many toys. It is an improvement and modification o the simple cell. Dry cells do not contain any type of solution on it. So it is called dry cells. If any solution were used in the dry cell, it would be difficult to carry it from one place to another.

Dynamo or Generator

Dynamo or generators are a bigger source of electricity. You might have been seen a bicycle dynamo. A dynamo or generator is a device which converts mechanical energy into electricity. When a magnet is moved quickly in or out of a coil of wire a current is found to flow in the wire. This principle is used to produce electricity from the generator of dynamo.