Petroleum can also be used to make steam to turn a turbine. Residual fuel oil, a product refined from crude oil, is often the petroleum product used in electric plants that use petroleum to make steam. In a nuclear power plant, a reactor contains a core of nuclear fuel, primarily enriched uranium. When atoms of uranium fuel are hit by neutrons they fission split , releasing heat and more neutrons. Under controlled conditions, these other neutrons can strike more uranium atoms, splitting more atoms, and so on.

Thereby, continuous fission can take place, forming a chain reaction releasing heat. The heat is used to turn water into steam, that, in turn, spins a turbine that generates electricity. In , Nuclear power is used to generate As of , hydropower accounts for 6. Its a process in which flowing water is used to spin a turbine connected to a generator. There are mainly two basic types of hydroelectric systems that produce electricity.

In the first system, flowing water accumulates in reservoirs created by the use of dams. The water falls through a pipe called a penstock and applies pressure against the turbine blades to drive the generator to produce electricity. English Wikipedia has an article on: Etymology of electricity. It is therefore considered a sure indicator of the presence of electricity in an active state, and forms the basis of all its tests.

Electrons revolve around the nucleus in shells. The protons and electrons of an atom are attracted to each other and each carries an electrical charge. Protons have a positive charge and electrons have a negative charge. The positive charge of the protons is equal to the negative charge of the electrons, making the atom balanced when they have an equal number of protons and electrons.

Neutrons carry no electric charge and their number may vary. The electrons in the shell closest to the nucleus have a strong attraction to the protons. These shifting electrons are electricity. A few protons and electrons can form bigger particles called atoms and molecules. Atoms and molecules are still very tiny. They are too small to see. Any big object, like your finger, has more atoms and molecules in it than anyone can count. We can only estimate how many there are.

Because negative electrons and positive protons stick together to make big objects, all big objects that we can see and feel are electrically neutral. Electrically is a word meaning "describing electricity", and neutral is a word meaning "balanced. All big objects are electrically neutral because there is the same amount of positive and negative charge in the world. We could say that the world is exactly balanced, or neutral. Scientists still do not know why this is so.

The electrons can move all around the material. Protons never move around a solid object because they are so heavy, at least compared to the electrons. A material that lets electrons move around is called a conductor. A material that keeps each electron tightly in place is called an insulator. Examples of conductors are copper, aluminum, silver, and gold.

Examples of insulators are rubber, plastic, and wood. Copper is used very often as a conductor because it is a very good conductor and there is so much of it in the world. When the same mysterious force energizes a loved one's touch, a stroke of lightning and a George Foreman Grill, a curious duality ensues: We take electricity for granted one second and gawk at its power the next.

More than two and a half centuries have passed since Benjamin Franklin and others proved lightning was a form of electricity, but it's still hard not to flinch when a particularly violent flash lights up the horizon.

Learn More about electric. Time Traveler for electric The first known use of electric was in See more words from the same year. From the Editors at Merriam-Webster. Dictionary Entries near electric Electra complex electress electret electric electrical degree electrical drainage electrical engineer See More Nearby Entries.

Phrases Related to electric electric fence electrical engineering. More Definitions for electric. English Language Learners Definition of electric. Kids Definition of electric.