Introduction
When you flip on a light switch, how does the lightbulb you turned on get the energy to glow? What about the electricity that heats up your electric stove and cooks your food? How does it get there?
How about your TV, radio, dishwasher, toaster, vacuum cleaner, washing machine, refrigerator, air conditioner, telephone, computer, stereo, and VCR? What makes them work?
Click on the diagrams below to learn more about where we get electricity and how we move it from place to place.
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Diagram 1: How Heat Is Changed Into Electricity
Energy takes many forms. Electricity is a kind of energy, and so is heat. One way to get electricity is to turn heat into electricity. The diagram below shows how this process works. |
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Diagram 2: How Electricity Gets to Your Home
The electricity from a power plant is generated by the turbines at such a high voltage, it would destroy your home at full force. The power is wheeled, or travels, along power lines through transformers to reach your house at the right voltage. Images by Claire Robertson |
