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Making electricity
To make electricity, you have to force electrons to move. We do that in electric generators. These are big machines with a turbine at one end that spins when pressure is applied to its blades. At the other end of the machine is the generator, where industrial magnets are attached to the machine's shaft. When the turbine spins, the magnets spin around within a shell of densely wound wire and the electrons within the wire are forced to move, creating electricity.
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The big push
The movement that we make electricity from comes from different sources. Water sliding down a tube pushes the blades of a turbine around. Water heated by coal or nuclear fission is turned into steam which also can push a turbine's blades. Wind can push the blades of a windmill too, which can be attached to a generator.
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Invisible forces
Magnets extend a magnetic field beyond the magnet itself. Like the way a paper clip will leap up to meet a strong magnet coming down to pick it up. This magnetic field, when it moves across coiled metal wires, can push electrons or pull electrons too. This force is known as electromagnetic induction and it is used all over the world to create electricity.
Here's the spin
To create a lot of electricity, you need to push a lot of electrons. So the big magnets attached to the turbines in our generating stations spin around within a housing that holds hundreds of metres of tightly wound copper wires. When the magnet spins, it forces the electrons in the copper wire to move. And electricity is created. |
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To expand your electricity knowledge, click a link below:
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