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Home Minds On Electric Circuits Mission EC2 Voltage Help Help 9

Mission EC2 Voltage

The Question

Approximately how many electrons does an electrical power company deliver to a typical American home in a given day?

Physics Rules

Requirements for an Electric Circuit:
In order to establish an electric circuit through which charge flows, it is necessary to meet the following two requirements:
  • There must be a closed conducting path that extends from the positive terminal to the negative terminal.
  • There must be a source of energy capable of doing work upon an electric charge to move the charge from the low energy terminal to the high energy terminal.

Think About It

For a circuit to be established within your home, the two requirements mentioned in the Know the Law section must be met. The source of energy in household circuits is not a battery - it is the public utility company (also known as the electric power company). In U.S. homes, a power company establishes a 110 - 120 Volt electric potential difference between the two terminals of your household circuit. The power company supplies the energy to maintain this electric potential difference so that all the appliances, bulbs, etc. within the home are operational. As for the electrons, they come with the house. The outlets, light receptacle boxes, and appliances are connected by conducting wires. The electrons are in the atoms of those wires. When there is an electric potential difference impressed across those wires, the electrons move.

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