Electrons for our home use
Where do they come from?
When we buy a piece of wire from the Hardware store what we actually by is the supply of electrons that will be placed in our circuit. "Wire" is another name for electron source. Some people think that when they plug an electric kettle into a wall socket, electrons flow from the Power Station, through the power lines and into the kettle. This is not true. Click to see where how power is generated.
The type of current that is provided by generators is called alternating current(ac) and the reason for this will soon become clear. The current provided by a battery is called direct current(dc) and as we discussed earlier, electrons move steadily in a net forward direction.
When a kettle or a light bulb is plugged into a wall socket energy, not electrons, flows from the outlet into the light bulb or kettle. The electrons in the circuit do not move in any direction but simply vibrate about a fixed point. The energy from the outlet causes the electrons, already in the circuit or lamp filament, to vibrate.
So simply put, the Power Stations sell energy to us not electrons. We supply the electrons.
Look at the animation on the right and notice how the electrons do not move in any particular direction but move to and fro about a fixed point.
