Isn't Electricity Power of AC or DC Volts and Amps?

Greetings Douglas,

Thank you for the wonderful article at Which Way does Electricity Flow?. That explains a great deal. I wish I had learned that in school. We were taught incorrectly, but am figuring it out late in life. It helps to have people like you around.

The question had been asked, "Isn't the real issue the fact that electricity can be explained as simply power being supplied to perform work by the medium of electrical motive force thru wires and the connected components?" In essence, isn't electricity power of either AC or DC at various voltages and amperages?

Thank you, SS

I wish that "Electricity" could be explained so easily.

Electricity is a word applied to many different effects. Sometimes the term electricity is applied to "Potential", like the static electricity that causes lightning. Sometimes the term electricity is applied to "Movement", like the beam of electrons used to make a picture in an old-fashioned TV picture tube. Sometimes electricity is applied to "Electromagnetic Force", like the electricity used to run a fan motor. Sometimes electricity is applied to "Power", like the electrical power coming out of a hydroelectric generator.



None of these definitions are really wrong. It's just that the term "Electricity" was in use well before the discovery that atoms aren't the smallest particle. In other words, the term "Electricity" was used before the electron was discovered to be only a part of an atom.

You're right, though, one use of the word "electricity" is the power of either AC or DC at various voltages and amperages, but we live in a world where other people have their own legitimate views of what electricity is, or what it does.

Douglas Krantz

Mr. Krantz

Ah, I see your point. Very interesting.

Thank you, SS