News tagged with electricity

Two stopped light pulses interact with each other

(Phys.org) -- For the first time, physicists have experimentally demonstrated the interaction of two motionless light pulses. Because the stopped light pulses have a long interaction time, it increases the ...

Physics / General Physics

created May 08, 2012 | popularity 4.1 / 5 (16) | comments 8 | with audio podcast feature

Mechanical motion rectifier leads to better energy harvesting

(Phys.org) -- Mechanical energy is all around us, whether in the form of a vehicle's vibrations, ocean waves, or vibrating train tracks. However, much of this energy is irregular and oscillatory - for example, road bumps ...

Technology / Engineering

created Apr 25, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (9) | comments 26 | with audio podcast report

Flexible, paper-based supercapacitor could improve performance of hybrid electric vehicles

(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists know that using supercapacitors in conjunction with batteries could greatly increase the fuel economy of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) due to the fact that supercapacitors can ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Mar 20, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (14) | comments 5 | with audio podcast feature

LED's efficiency exceeds 100%

(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that an LED can emit more optical power than the electrical power it consumes. Although scientifically intriguing, the results won’t ...

Physics / General Physics

created Mar 05, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (65) | comments 60 | with audio podcast report

All-carbon-nanotube transistor can be crumpled like a piece of paper

(PhysOrg.com) -- Thanks to the flexible yet robust properties of carbon nanotubes, researchers have previously fabricated transistors that can be rolled, folded, and stretched. Now a team from Japan has made ...

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created Mar 02, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (22) | comments 3 | with audio podcast feature

Rational design can improve hydrogen fuel cell efficiency

(PhysOrg.com) -- Hydrogen fuel cells, in which the chemical energy of hydrogen is converted into electricity, offer the potential for a wide variety of applications, especially in transportation and power ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 29, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (12) | comments 0 | with audio podcast feature

Copper-nickel nanowires could be perfect fit for printable electronics

While the Statue of Liberty and old pennies may continue to turn green, printed electronics and media screens made of copper nanowires will always keep their original color.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created May 29, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Reversible doping: Hydrogen flips switch on vanadium oxide

If you are not a condensed matter physicist, vanadium oxide (VO2) may be the coolest material you've never heard of. It's a metal. It's an insulator. It's a window coating and an optical switch. And thanks ...

Physics / Condensed Matter

created May 21, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Scotland passes turbine test to harness tidal power

(Phys.org) -- An underwater turbine being used for harnessing tidal power to generate electricity for homes and businesses has successfully completed its testing period in the island of Eday, one of Orkney’s ...

Technology / Energy & Green Tech

created May 20, 2012 | popularity 4.6 / 5 (18) | comments 41 | with audio podcast report

Electric Imp serves up plants-thirsty, lights-on control

(Phys.org) -- Electric Imp wants to revive the dream of All Things Internet with its new device launched this week. Its Imp is able to connect devices to the Internet, where you can monitor and control information ...

Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation

created May 17, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 3 | with audio podcast report

Brainput system takes some brain strain off multi-taskers

(Phys.org) -- A research team made up of members from Indiana University, Tufts and MIT and led by Erin Treacy Solovey, a has built a brain monitoring system that offloads some of the computer related activities ...

Technology / Hi Tech & Innovation

created May 16, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast report

Researchers develop technique to keep cool high-power semiconductor devices used in wireless applications, electric cars

A group of researchers at the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering have developed a technique to keep cool a semiconductor material used in everything from traffic lights to electric cars.

Nanotechnology / Nanophysics

created May 08, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

A new paper made of graphene and protein fibrils

(Phys.org) -- Researchers led by Raffaele Mezzenga, a professor in Food and Soft Materials Science, have created a new nanocomposite made of graphene and protein fibrils: a special paper, which combines the ...

Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials

created May 07, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (8) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Single-inlet electric vehicle charging to showcase in LA

(Phys.org) -- Big names in global car manufacturers have announced a common method for charging electric vehicles. The companies are in agreement with a common charging technology for use on electric vehicles ...

Technology / Engineering

created May 05, 2012 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (11) | comments 17 | with audio podcast report

Folding light: Wrinkles and twists boost power from solar panels

Taking their cue from the humble leaf, researchers have used microscopic folds on the surface of photovoltaic material to significantly increase the power output of flexible, low-cost solar cells.

Physics / Optics & Photonics

created Apr 27, 2012 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (15) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Electricity

Electricity (from the New Latin ēlectricus, "amber-like"[a]) is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts, such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction.

In general usage, the word 'electricity' is adequate to refer to a number of physical effects. However, in scientific usage, the term is vague, and these related, but distinct, concepts are better identified by more precise terms:

Electrical phenomena have been studied since antiquity, though advances in the science were not made until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Practical applications for electricity however remained few, and it would not be until the late nineteenth century that engineers were able to put it to industrial and residential use. The rapid expansion in electrical technology at this time transformed industry and society. Electricity's extraordinary versatility as a source of energy means it can be put to an almost limitless set of applications which include transport, heating, lighting, communications, and computation. The backbone of modern industrial society is, and for the foreseeable future can be expected to remain, the use of electrical power.

For more information about Electricity, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.