Fun facts about electricity

Electricity travels at the speed of light more than 300,000 kilometres per second!
Electric potential energy is measured in
volts.
A spark of static electricity can measure up
to three thousand (3,000) volts.
A bolt of lightning can measure up to three
million (3,000,000) volts and it lasts less
than one second.
Lightning is a discharge of electricity in
the atmosphere. Lightning bolts can travel
at around 210,000 kph, and reach nearly
30,000 C in temperature.
Electricity always tries to find the easiest
path to the ground.
When energy is flowing, that is called a
current.
Electricity can be made from wind, water,
the sun and even animal poo.
A 600 megawatt natural gas plant can power
220,000 homes.
The first power plant - owned by Thomas
Edison - opened in New York City in 1882.
Thomas Edison invented more than 2,000
new products, including almost everything
needed for us to use electricity in our homes:
switches, fuses, sockets and meters.

Benjamin Franklin didn't discover electricity,

but he did prove that lightning is a form of
electrical energy.
When an electric charge builds up on
the surface of an object it creates static
electricity.
Electric current is measured in amperes
(amps).
Electric eels can produce strong electric
shocks of around 500 volts for both self
defence and hunting.
The first electric battery was developed by
Alessandro Volta about 200 years ago. He
discovered that when two strips of different
metals were put in a sulphuric acid solution
and connected with a wire, electricity began
to flow.
Voltage means electrical pressure. You can
think of it like the pressure that pushes water
through your garden hose. The higher the
voltage the more electricity there is flowing
through the power line.
Why dont birds sitting on a power line get
electrocuted? If a bird sits on just one power
line it is safe. However if it touches another
line with a wing or foot, it creates a circuit and
the electricity will flow through its body from
one line to the other, causing electrocution.