What is electricity?

Study for the Georgia High School Physical Science Test. Prepare with flashcards and multiple-choice questions, detailed hints and explanations included. Get ready for your exam!

Electricity is the flow of electric charges. In a circuit, when there’s a difference in potential, electrons in a conductor move from the high-potential side to the low-potential side, creating an electric current. That moving charge carries energy, which can power devices like lights and motors, so electricity isn’t just a substance you can touch but the process of charges moving and transferring energy. Saying electricity is simply a form of energy isn’t precise, because it describes the energy, not the mechanism of how it moves and is used. Light energy is a different kind of energy altogether, carried by photons or electromagnetic waves, not by a current of electrons. A current itself is the rate at which charge flows, not the phenomenon on its own.