How Electric Current Transfers Energy

Electric current is the flow of electricity through wires, and it carries energy from one place to another. This matters because electric current is how we get power to devices in our homes, schools, and communities.

When you turn on a lamp, electrical energy travels from a power source through wires to the light bulb. A power source is something that provides electricity, like a battery or an outlet connected to a power plant. The electrical energy moving through the wires is like water flowing through a hose. Just as water carries energy that can turn a water wheel, electric current carries energy that can make things work.

Once the electrical energy reaches the light bulb, something important happens. The energy converts, or changes, into other forms of energy. In a light bulb, electrical energy converts into light energy that lets you see and heat energy that makes the bulb warm. Different devices convert electrical energy in different ways. A toaster converts it mostly to heat, while a radio converts it to sound.

Electric current is especially useful because it can transfer energy over long distances. Power plants generate electricity and send it through wires that stretch for many miles. These wires carry energy to homes, schools, hospitals, and businesses. Without electric current, we would not have lights, computers, refrigerators, or many other things we use every day.