Electricity is the basis of our lives and is used in almost everything we have. For human beings, electricity is like our lifeline, it’s really important that we be careful while using it. If we do not preserve the electricity we have, we may end up losing it because we did not proceed with caution.

Electricity is the most important form of energy that we have in our possession. We may not realize it, but electricity is everywhere, “ It produces light and heat and it provides power for our appliances” (Bartlett 190). Everything that is plugged into outlet uses electricity, and that falls into the category of many things. Electricity must be handled with great care or else, “ It can kill if a bare wire is touched with wet hands, or someone is standing on something moist” (Bartlett 190). It is unpredictable and even the slightest mistake can cost a life. Without electricity, our technology would be dated much farther back.

Our whole world is constantly in communication with one another, but it could not be possible without electricity. We can see how dependent we are, “ In communications, we use electricity for our radios, the telegraph, telephones, the Internet, and television” (Bartlett 191). We need the news and entertainment, but it all comes back to the one source: electricity. Electricity was discovered even in the Biblical time period, “ Thales, a Greek philosopher, started learning the properties of electricity in 500 B.C” (Bartlett 196). Although we have made remarkable progress in communications, we should thank all of those who put time into figuring out all of the complex machinery that we use today.

The main place that families use their electricity is basically in their own households and sometimes offices. Without power, we can’t produce, “ Electric power uses electricity to do work. It lights, heats, cools, and provides power for our many appliances” (El-Hawary 182). Mostly everything we use in our household is powered by electricity. Breaking down components is a necessity, “ Electric power is measured in units known as watts” (El-Hawary 182). Knowing how many watts you are dealing with could save your life. We get our electricity from distribution centers called power plants. Power plants are ran by natural resources, “ These power plants first harness the energy of steam or running water to turn a turbine”(El-Hawary 182). Although people think this is a complex process, it really is not. Our voltage for the power plant is created through, “ The magnetic field created by the rotor turns also. As it turns, it produces voltage inside the wires of the stator and causes a flow of electric current” (El-Hawary 182-183). The way scientists constructed these power plants is remarkable and effective. Generators, the source of our industrialized electrical energy, have completely changed our industry of production and solutions.

Electronics are considered to be the branch of science and engineering closely related to the science of electricity. Electronics are like a helper, “ Electronics does help electricity do what it cannot do alone” (Henry 206). Our cell phones, and iPods are specific electronics that are used to display signals that electricity transmits through the current. Important components are used in electronics, “ Electronics depend on highly specialized electron devices; the most important and well known is called a transistor” (Henry 206). Engineers have figured out how to put millions of these into a silicon plate that is about the same size as your fingernail. Most of our luxuries come from the scientists who spend countless hours experimenting with these microscopic chips.

Electronics and the science of electricity both deal with the nature of electric current. Current can have different uses, “ Electricity uses it for operating lights and electronics uses it to carry signals which contain information” (Henry 207). Electricity uses current in the simplest way, even though it is still a very complex process that must be studied in and out if someone wants to know it thoroughly. Electron devices help change current, “ Signals can be present if the current varies, but when changed, it produces signals” (Henry 207). Signals can transmit almost anything but it’s usually images and sound. Our life is so much more open because of the results of signals to learn of new news or even listen to your favorite song.

Solar electricity is created by the use of photovoltaic cells by converting solar energy harnessed from the sun into electricity. Efficiency may not be the best word to describe PV cells, “ They are really expensive to make and the amount of energy they produce is small” (SE 1). Although they really aren’t that great, they are coming along quite well. When combining, the output is much greater, “ They connect multiple cells together so they get more electricity” (SE1). Even though the output is greater, the expense of producing the cells is still quite great. There are some good things about PV cells, “ They have no moving parts, so maintenance is minimal, and it is environmentally sound because it emits no greenhouse” (SE 1). Overall, there are great things that make photovoltaic cells sound. Although it may not be efficient now, the production of solar electricity is gradually becoming better and better for the environment.

Overseas in the United Kingdom, grid-connect PV systems are most commonly used there. This is used to be easily distributed, “ The basic idea is that these systems are connected to the local electricity network that is central to a major city and its surrounding suburbs” (SE 1). This may be one of the best ways to distribute electricity. Connections are not even necessary, “ For those applications that are unable to connect, they have created stand-alone PV systems” (SE 1). Effectiveness is the word to be used when describing these stand-alone photovoltaic systems.

Electricity has many natural wonders about it but at the same time, human life has become dependent on what used to be a marvel. Deadly can be something very beautiful, “ Lightning is one of nature’s most dramatic demonstrations of electricity at its fullest” (Parker 6). Although it awe’s our very hearts, lightning can kill instantaneously. It can be considered a lifeline, “ About every second, electric signals spread throughout our bodies coordinating a heartbeat” (Parker 7). If people say we can live without electricity, then they are absolutely wrong because without it, our heart would not function. Whoever created this world knew that electricity would amaze us and allow us to live.

As experiments were done, scientists observed that some substances let electricity pass through the current with ease while others not very easy. Some things are just better than others, “ Experiments that were done showed that common metals are good conductors, but the rarer the metal, the better the conductivity” (Parker 20). Metals are usually put into the conductor category while mostly everything else was an insulator, or an object that resisted electrical current. George Ohm, a German scientist, showed us that everything is not perfect, “ Even the best conductors put up some resistance; it all depends on the length and diameter of the wire” (Parker 22). Ohm, who created the units of resistance, new perfection could not be reached by natural means, which in this case, was that no metal is a perfect conductor. Classification of conductors and insulators show us how we can industrialize our homes with the most efficient method of transmitting electricity.

For those who think that we deserve electricity are mistaken because if we overuse it or abuse it, we may never be able to wield it. We need electricity, but people don’t preserve it and if we lose it, our world would be in chaos. The world runs on electricity, and we have so many things that use it, even if we don’t realize it.