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What is Electricity?
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What is Electricity?
There are 3 main electrical measurements. These are:
Current: Measured in AMPS. Measures the amount of electricity flowing.
Voltage: Measured in VOLTS. Measures the force which is pushing the electricity (high voltage can push electricity through the body with enough force to kill).
Power: Measured in WATTS. Measures the amount of work that the electricity can do in 1 second. A product of VOLTS x AMPS, i.e. voltage by current... W = V x I.
Here is a Rough Guide to Wattage for Appliances.
You can check your own appliances by reading the label!
More than 1000W
Air Conditioner
Microwave
Kettle
Oven
Hairdryer
Hob
Heaters
Less than 1000W
Fridge/Freezer
Washing Machine
Iron
Less than 500W
PC
Laptop
Drill
Vacuum Cleaner
Heaters generally have the highest ratings!
Safety Devices which stop electric shocks, as well as wires catching fire through overloading, are extremely important.
The three most common are:
Fuse: A thin wire which melts when the current overloads. The circuit is broken and the current stops.
MCB: Miniature Circuit Breaker. The modern replacement for the fuse. An electrical switch designed to protect the circuit from overload. Unlike the fuse, can be reset instead of replaced.
RCD: Residual Current Device. Protects the circuit from earth leakage by comparing the current in the live wire from the current in the neutral wire. If it is not the same (i.e. some current is leaking), it switches off. The circuit is broken and the current stops.
Want more? Read this helpful guide from How Stuff Works.™ http://www.howstuffworks.com/electricity.htm