Current & Voltage Course

Lesson 1 of 16: What is Electricity

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What is Electricity?

Electricity is the movement of electric charge through a closed circuit. Voltage pushes charge, and resistance controls how easily that charge can move.

Voltage Push

12.0 V

Charge Flow

2.00 A

Flow Level

MEDIUM

Core idea

Electricity happens when electric charge moves through a complete path. More voltage pushes harder, while more resistance slows the flow.

Simple Idea: Voltage pushes -> Charge moves -> Electricity works
SimulationInteractive View

Watch the circuit respond

Play, pause, or reset the moving charge to see how voltage and resistance affect the circuit.

Electricity = Moving ChargeVoltage pushes charge - Resistance controls flow - Current = 2.00A - Flow level: MEDIUM+12.0V12RESISTOR 6.0 OhmakLEDVoltage PushCharge Flow →Charge Flow Strength: 40%

Voltage

12.0 V

The push that tries to move charge through the circuit.

Current

2.00 A

The amount of charge that is actually moving.

Resistance

6.0 Ohm

The part that makes charge flow harder.

Summary

Beginner summary

Keep these basic ideas in mind while you explore the lesson.

Live
Electricity is the movement of electric charge. Here, 12.0V with 6.0 Ohm creates 2.00A current, so charge flow is medium.

Charge

Electric charge is a property of particles like electrons and protons.

Electron

Electron is a negatively charged particle that can move through a conductor.

Voltage

Voltage is the electrical pressure that pushes charges.

Current

Current is the rate of charge flow in a circuit.