How Does an Electric Circuit Actually Work? – News about Energy Storage, Batteries, Climate Change and the Environment

The voltage of a battery defines the electrical potential it contains. However, we have to release this energy through a circuit to have electricity we can use. This circuit must comprise materials able to conduct this electricity. If the electric circuit contains insulating material, this will prevent the process happening.

How an Electric Circuit Allows Electricity to Flow

Electricity flows from a higher voltage to a lower voltage. This is why the positive terminal always has a slightly higher voltage than the negative one. If we insert a suitably rated device into a wire between them, then the electrical energy will power that device.

Battery manufacturers clearly mark their terminals negative or positive. Because if we connect the battery the wrong way round, the electricity will not flow and the device will not work. Hence, the simplest electric circuit comprises a battery, a conductive wire between the terminals, and a device rated accordingly so it can work properly.

Loads, Open Circuits, and Short Circuits

We call these devices loads, because they are a burden that consumes some of the flow. If the rating of a load is too high, it can slow down the electron flow and not perform properly, if at all.

Conversely, if the load is too light, the electricity will flow through it faster than it should, and could damage it. Connecting battery terminals without intervening devices creates an electric circuit without any load at all. This is how lithium batteries catch fire when their insulation fails, and they short circuit inside.

Electricity always follows the path of least resistance. Electricity short-circuits through human bodies when it can, because they are excellent conductors. This happens when a child ingests a penny battery, and is unable to break the electric circuit by removing it.

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Preview Image: Finding circuit current using Ohm’s and Kirchhoff’s laws

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