Electricity is integral to every part of our lives, powering not just light and heat, but production processes, communication devices. It plays a part in the lifecycle of most of the items in our homes via production, transport or usage. Here are 10 interesting facts about electricity:
- The ancient Greeks discovered electricity around 600BC. They noted that amber and fur when rubbed together attract each other through static electricity (electricity that stays in one place).
- Scientists believe the Persians and the Romans created batteries after finding pots in an archaeological dig that were lined with copper sheets. It has been suggested that these were used to electroplate artwork.
- Ancient Egyptians probably used electric lamps since no other energy sources have been found by archaeologists. Also, some artwork from the era depicts electric lamps.
- In our home appliances, electricity flows through wires at a speed of 1/100th of the speed of light. That is 186,00 miles per second.
- A single lightning bolt, which can be three million volts, reaches temperatures of 30,000 degrees centigrade or 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Three million volts can light up 200,000 average homes, which is the same amount of electricity as a 600-megawatt natural gas plant.
