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ElectricityWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

onlyfractionsofamillimetrepersecond,[24]:17theelectricfieldthat
drivesthemitselfpropagatesatclosetothespeedoflight,enabling
electricalsignalstopassrapidlyalongwires.[33]
Currentcausesseveralobservableeffects,whichhistoricallywere
themeansofrecognisingitspresence.Thatwatercouldbe
decomposedbythecurrentfromavoltaicpilewasdiscoveredby
NicholsonandCarlislein1800,aprocessnowknownas
electrolysis.TheirworkwasgreatlyexpandeduponbyMichael
Faradayin1833.Currentthrougharesistancecauseslocalised
heating,aneffectJamesPrescottJoulestudiedmathematicallyin
Anelectricarcprovidesanenergetic
1840.[24]:2324Oneofthemostimportantdiscoveriesrelatingto
demonstrationofelectriccurrent
currentwasmadeaccidentallybyHansChristianrstedin1820,
when,whilepreparingalecture,hewitnessedthecurrentinawire
disturbingtheneedleofamagneticcompass.[34]Hehaddiscoveredelectromagnetism,afundamental
interactionbetweenelectricityandmagnetics.Thelevelofelectromagneticemissionsgeneratedbyelectric
arcingishighenoughtoproduceelectromagneticinterference,whichcanbedetrimentaltotheworkingsof
adjacentequipment.[35]
Inengineeringorhouseholdapplications,currentisoftendescribedasbeingeitherdirectcurrent(DC)or
alternatingcurrent(AC).Thesetermsrefertohowthecurrentvariesintime.Directcurrent,asproducedby
examplefromabatteryandrequiredbymostelectronicdevices,isaunidirectionalflowfromthepositive
partofacircuittothenegative.[36]:11If,asismostcommon,thisflowiscarriedbyelectrons,theywillbe
travellingintheoppositedirection.Alternatingcurrentisanycurrentthatreversesdirectionrepeatedly
almostalwaysthistakestheformofasinewave.[36]:206207Alternatingcurrentthuspulsesbackandforth
withinaconductorwithoutthechargemovinganynetdistanceovertime.Thetimeaveragedvalueofan
alternatingcurrentiszero,butitdeliversenergyinfirstonedirection,andthenthereverse.Alternating
currentisaffectedbyelectricalpropertiesthatarenotobservedundersteadystatedirectcurrent,suchas
inductanceandcapacitance.[36]:223225Thesepropertieshowevercanbecomeimportantwhencircuitryis
subjectedtotransients,suchaswhenfirstenergised.

Electricfield
TheconceptoftheelectricfieldwasintroducedbyMichaelFaraday.Anelectricfieldiscreatedbya
chargedbodyinthespacethatsurroundsit,andresultsinaforceexertedonanyotherchargesplaced
withinthefield.Theelectricfieldactsbetweentwochargesinasimilarmannertothewaythatthe
gravitationalfieldactsbetweentwomasses,andlikeit,extendstowardsinfinityandshowsaninverse
squarerelationshipwithdistance.[26]However,thereisanimportantdifference.Gravityalwaysactsin
attraction,drawingtwomassestogether,whiletheelectricfieldcanresultineitherattractionorrepulsion.
Sincelargebodiessuchasplanetsgenerallycarrynonetcharge,theelectricfieldatadistanceisusually
zero.Thusgravityisthedominantforceatdistanceintheuniverse,despitebeingmuchweaker.[27]
Anelectricfieldgenerallyvariesinspace,[37]anditsstrengthatanyonepointisdefinedastheforce(per
unitcharge)thatwouldbefeltbyastationary,negligiblechargeifplacedatthatpoint.[17]:469470The
conceptualcharge,termeda'testcharge',mustbevanishinglysmalltopreventitsownelectricfield
disturbingthemainfieldandmustalsobestationarytopreventtheeffectofmagneticfields.Astheelectric
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