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Electricity and power generation

What are electricity and power generation?

Electricity is a type of energy that we use to power lots of things around our homes. It is used to power lights, mobile phones, TVs, radios, and even the computer that you are reading this on. To use all this electricity, we have to make it – this is called electricity generation.

Electricity is very important in the modern home, and it has completely changed the way that people live their lives – can you imagine living without any electrical things in your home, like most Victorians did? We have to be careful how we use it, though. It takes a lot of work to generate electricity, and some of the ways we do have bad side effects on the environment. So, it’s best only to use the electricity that we need to.

Top 10 facts

• Electricity can be generated using coal, gas, nuclear fuels, the wind or sunlight.
• Electricity is normally generated in big buildings called power stations.
• It’s important only to use electricity when we need to, and to save what we can. This is called energy efficiency.
• Electricity first came into widespread use in the Victorian era , when people started to use it to light streets, shops and homes.
• When electricity travels through you, it is called an electric shock. It can be very painful and can even kill people.
• A bolt of lightning is electricity travelling from the clouds to the ground, or from cloud to cloud.
• Some methods of generating electricity, like burning gas and coal, create greenhouse gases that cause climate change. People are trying to make more of our electricity in ways that are good for the environment , like using wind power or solar power .
• Wind power generates electricity by using the wind to turn the big arms on a wind turbine.
• Solar power generates electricity by absorbing the heat and light from the sun in special panels.
• With small solar panels and wind turbines, it’s even possible to generate some electricity at your home or school instead of at a power station.

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Did you know?

• Electricity has led to a lot of changes in our lives. Before electricity, if you wanted to light your house at night, you had to use candles, or lamps filled with oil or paraffin. It wasn’t very easy, and if you ran out of candles or fuel you had to sit in the dark!
• Electricity first came into people’s homes towards the end of the Victorian era . In 1878, the first electric streetlights in the world were put in London. In 1881, Godalming in Surrey became the first town in the world to have an electricity supply that everybody in the town could use.
• Electricity isn’t just used to power things in the home, in schools, and in other buildings. Lots of trains are powered by electricity. They either get it from a wire that runs over the tracks, or from a third rail. It’s much harder to make cars that are powered by electricity, but scientists are trying to design them and some companies are starting to make them now.
• One of the reasons electricity changed our lives so much is that it can make things much more convenient. Before electric street lights, it was the job of some people to go around lighting the gas-powered lamps that towns used to have on their streets; they were called lamp lighters.
• Even though you can get small wind turbines to use at home, wind turbines have to be very big in order to make a lot of electricity. Each blade on a big wind turbine could be as long as four double-decker buses!
• The best place to put a wind turbine is somewhere where there is a lot of wind to turn it. The more wind there is, the more electricity you can make. The best places often high up on a hill or on top of a tall building, but it can also be good to build wind turbines out at sea.
• Solar panels don’t just work when the sun is out. They can also generate electricity when it is cloudy, but they don’t make as much electricity as they do in bright sunlight.

Electricity and power generation gallery:

• An offshore wind farm
• Solar panels on a roof
• A power station
• Hoover dam in the United States
• A standard light bulb
• A low-energy light bulb

Because Britain is north of the equator, the sun is always to the south of us in the sky. This means that in Britain it is best to put solar panels facing south, so that the sun shines on them for as much of the day as possible.

Electricity can also be a lot cleaner and nicer than the alternative. In 1890, the London Underground started to use electric trains because it meant there was no dirty, smelly smoke from steam engines in the tunnels and stations. All underground railways around the world soon did the same thing.

Lots of electricity is generated by burning fuels that create greenhouse gases and contribute to global climate change. People are trying to reduce this by generating more energy by environmentally-friendly methods like wind or solar power.

Nuclear power generates electricity using ‘nuclear fuels’ that get very hot. It doesn’t create greenhouse gases, but after they have been used the fuels are dangerous and have to be kept very carefully for a long, long time. Nuclear power stations often look similar to coal or gas power stations with lots of big cooling towers. The main difference is that a nuclear power station doesn’t have a tall, thin chimney to get rid of the gases from burning fuel.

In the future, electricity might be generated using a method called ‘fusion’. It’s a little like nuclear power but it doesn’t use the same fuels, and doesn’t leave waste that has to be kept safe for a long time.

As well as generating electricity in an environmentally friendly way, it’s important only to use the electricity that we need to. Turning things off when we aren’t using them can save electricity, and so can changing to modern light bulbs – old-fashioned light bulbs can use five or six times as much electricity to create the same amount of light.

Electricity can be very dangerous when it travels through you. It can seriously hurt or even kill people. It’s important not to put anything except a plug into a mains electricity socket. High voltage electricity is even more dangerous – you don’t even have to touch it to get a shock because it can jump several feet through the air!

Not all items that use electricity have to be plugged into mains sockets. Batteries can be used to store small amounts of electricity so that it can be used in small things that you can carry around like mobile phones and video game players. Some batteries can only be used once, and some can be ‘recharged’ so that they can be used again.

Words to know:

Coal – coal is turned into electricity by burning it to make steam to turn a turbine; unfortunately, this makes carbon dioxide that causes global warming Cooling towers – these are used at power stations to get as much heat as possible out of steam that has been used to make electricity; this makes the power stations more efficient. They are normally very wide towers, and sometimes look as though they have clouds coming out of them! Dams – used to block up valleys and create a lake behind them; the force of the water leaving the lake is used to turn a turbine Electric shock – what you get when electricity runs through you; electric shocks can easily kill people, so it’s a good idea to be very careful with electricity Efficiency – energy efficiency means only using the energy that you need to use; this means turning things off when you aren’t using them so that they don’t use electricity. It saves money, and helps the environment. Gas – gas is turned into electricity by burning it to make steam to turn a turbine; unfortunately, this makes carbon dioxide that causes global warming Generate – when we make electricity using any of the methods described on this page, we say that we’ve ‘generated’ it Green electricity – green electricity is electricity that has been generated in an environmentally friendly way; people usually use this to mean wind power, solar power and hydroelectricity. High voltage – very strong electricity (see voltage) It’s more efficient to move electricity long distances if it is high voltage; this saves money and is good for the environment, but it makes it more dangerous Hydroelectric – power that is generated using water to turn turbines; this is normally by using a dam to create a lake, but sometimes waves or tides in the ocean are used Nuclear power – nuclear fuels get very hot, and the heat is used to make steam to turn a turbine; this doesn’t make carbon dioxide, but the used fuel is dangerous and has to be stored carefully for a long time Nuclear waste – nuclear fuel that has been used up making electricity; it can be very dangerous, and lasts a long time Power station – a huge building that is used to make electricity; it has cooling towers and turbines, and needs a fuel to use to generate the electricity Pylon – high voltage electricity is used over long distances from the power stations to towns and cities; it is more dangerous than low voltage electricity, so the cables are put at the top of big metal towers called pylons Solar power – electricity made using special panels that absorb light from the sun and turn it into electricity Solar panels – flat panels that are specially made so that when sunlight hits them, they generate electricity; you often see them on the roofs of houses Turbine – a special kind of machine that you can turn to make electricity; most electricity is made using turbines, often with steam that is made by burning fuel to heat water Voltage – a measure of how strong the electricity is; the higher the voltage, the stronger it is, and the more dangerous it is Wind power – electricity that is generated by turbines turned by the wind Wind turbines – used to generate wind power; they have big blades that catch the wind so that the wind makes them turn, and they turn the turbine to make electricity

Related Videos

Just for fun...

• Help find out how to power different electrical items , and how to be safe with electricity (suitable for KS1)
• Try to create enough power from a solar panel and a wind turbine before the clock stops!
• Play a BBC circuits game
• Online electricity games from Switched on Kids 
• Learn how to stay safe around electricity 
• Try an online game to learn more about electricity and spot the hazards
• Experiment with batteries, voltages and light bulbs in an online electricity activity
• Complete KS2 activity sheets about different forms of energy generation and understand the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy generation
• Download some staying safe around electricity wordsearches and puzzles
• Get hands-on with kids' electronics sets and build your own circuits (safely!)

Best kids' books about electricity

Find out more about electricity and power generation:

• Find out about energy and how it powers our homes with information from the National Grid
• All about  renewable energy from wind, water and sunshine
• Watch a video for kids about electricity and circuits
• What is  electrical energy ?
• Find out about  storing and transferring energy
• Watch an animation about electricity
• Find out about lots of kinds of energy and power generation on the Our Future Energy website
• What would life be like without electricity ? Find out in a video filmed at the Science Museum

See for yourself

Visit an exciting hydroelectric power station built inside a mountain in the Scottish Highlands.

Learn more about hydropower at Rheidol power station in Wales .

Ask your teacher about arranging a field trip to a local power station. Most power stations run tours for school groups.

Learn how electricity is made.  

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Home » Electricity » Year 1 & 2

Electricity Year 1 & 2

Electricity Year 1 & 2

Electricity Year 1 & 2 kids at Primary School KS1. Science homework help. Learn about electricity, mains & batteries and being safe around electricity.

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What is electricity.

Electricity is an energy that can flow from one place to another. There are two ways we get electricity in our homes. One is from the mains and the other is from batteries.

Mains electricity

Mains electricity comes from the sockets we have dotted around our house. We plug devices in to the sockets to give them electricity and make them work. The things that you may have around your house that use main electricity are:

• Televisions
• Washing Machines
• Vacuum cleaners

Electricity can be stored in batteries. This means that devices can work without having to be plugged into the wall. It also means that devices can be portable. The things that you may have around your house that use batteries are:

• Remote controls
• Mobile Phones

Being safe around electricity

Electricity is very dangerous, and it's important to know how to stay safe around it. Follow the following rules and you can stay save around your home.

• NEVER put anything in electrical wall sockets. This is REALLY dangerous. Only sockets belong here, but remember to ask an adult for help when plugging or unplugging devices.
• Keep all wires tucked out the way. They can be dangerous if you were to trip on them.
• Water and electricity doesn't mix and they should NEVER come in contact with each other.
• Always dry your hands well when you've washed them before switching the light off.
• NEVER have drinks near electrical devices just in case they spill.
• NEVER use anything electronic in the bathroom.

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Electricity - 3 Activities

Subject: Primary science

Age range: 7-11

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

23 May 2023

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• A great homework activity when teaching electricity (3 activities to complete).
• Activity 1: Look around your home carefully and find 12 electrical appliances which have switches on them. Draw each appliance and write the name of the appliance beneath the picture.
• Activity 2: Sort the 12 appliances you have found into 3 groups: appliances that only use batteries; appliances that only use mains and appliances that use batteries and mains. Present this information on the Venn Diagram attached
• Activity 3: Write down if the appliance produces LIGHT, SOUND, TEMPERATURE or MOVEMENT?
• Fully editable.

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**A great selection of KS1 and KS2 ELECTRICITY fully editable resources including:** * Units of Work (x2). * POWERPOINTS (x2). * A tracking sheet. * A variety of worksheets and activities.

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**Fully editable electricity resources including:** 1. What can electricity do? 2. Electricity - 2 Units of Work. 3. Electricity KS1 and KS2 PowerPoint Presentations. 4. Electricity - How is it produced? 5. Electricity - Notes Home. 6. Electricity Worksheet - Can you spot the DANGERS? 7. Electricity Tracking Sheet / Assessment Proforma.

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electricity

Electricity should always be used with care. House current voltage is strong enough to kill a person.

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Introduction

Electricity is a form of energy associated with the atomic particles called electrons and protons. In particular, electricity involves the movement or accumulation of negatively charged electrons in relation to positively charged protons. The world’s modern economies, with their industrial, transportation, and communication systems, were made possible by electricity. Old energy forms, such as water and steam, imposed limitations on production—limitations on where goods could be produced and on how much could be produced. Electricity has few such limits: it can go anywhere, even far into space.

The development of electricity has resulted in the total transformation of civilization. It brings power into homes to operate lights, kitchen appliances, television sets, radios, furnaces, computers, garage doors, and more. So common are its uses that one cannot imagine today’s world without it. Streets would not be lit. Telephones would not work. Storefronts and factories would be dimmed.

Electrical forces are also responsible for holding body cells together in the shape they have. In fact, electrical forces are fundamental in holding all matter together. As printed words are being read, electric currents speed along nerve cells from eye to brain. The effect of an electric current can be seen in the flash of lightning between thundercloud and Earth as well as in the spark that can be produced when one walks on a carpet in a dry room.

Static Electricity and Electric Charge

Understanding electricity begins with describing its effects. One way to begin is to examine interactions that occur when electricity is at rest, in a form called static electricity. Static electricity can be seen at work when hair is combed on a cold, dry day. As the comb is pulled through the hair, strands of hair stand out stiffly. Some kind of force seems to pull the hair upward toward the comb. To understand the nature of this force it is necessary to know something about the concept of electric charge and the structure of atoms.

Simple experiments can illustrate how electric charge works. If a glass rod is rubbed with silk and touched to a small sphere of aluminum foil suspended by a thread, the sphere moves away from the glass rod. The rod and sphere repel each other. If the process is repeated with a second sphere and the spheres are brought near each other, they too repel. If a plastic rod is rubbed with wool and brought near either sphere, the spheres move toward the plastic rod. These objects attract each other. If two new aluminum foil spheres are touched to the plastic rod, they are repelled by the plastic, as well as by each other. But they are attracted to the glass rod and the spheres touched by the glass rod.

These experiments can be explained by a two-charge model. Rubbing the glass with silk causes the glass to acquire a positive charge. When touched to the spheres it shares some of its positive charge with the spheres and these objects repel. Rubbing the plastic with wool causes the plastic to acquire a negative charge. When touched to the spheres it shares some of its negative charge with the spheres and these objects repel.

This interpretation of the experiment leads to the conclusion that like charges repel. But when a positively charged sphere is brought near a negatively charged plastic rod or sphere, the objects attract each other. And when a negatively charged sphere is brought near a positively charged glass rod, the objects attract each other. This leads to the conclusion that unlike charges attract. No matter how an object is charged, if it attracts the negatively charged sphere, it will also repel the positively charged sphere, and vice versa. This leads to the belief that there are only two kinds of electric charge.

Electric Charges in Atoms

A model of matter is needed to explain how only two kinds of charged rods can be produced. Atoms contain two kinds of charge, which are arbitrarily called positive and negative. Every atom is composed of a positively charged nucleus around which are distributed negatively charged electrons. Each nucleus contains a specific number of protons—particles that carry the positive charge. (With the exception of the hydrogen atom, nuclei also contain uncharged neutrons.) In an uncharged atom there are equal numbers of protons and electrons, and such an atom is said to be neutral. If a neutral atom loses one or more of its electrons, it has an excess number of protons and it is positively charged. If a neutral atom gains one or more electrons, it has an excess number of electrons and it is negatively charged. In either case it is called an ion.

How does the simple atomic model relate to the static electricity experiments? Rubbing action creates charged objects because it tears electrons loose from some kinds of atoms and transfers them to others. In the case of plastic rubbed with wool, electrons are taken from the wool and pile up on the plastic, giving the plastic a net negative charge and leaving the wool charged positively. When glass is rubbed with silk, the glass loses electrons and the silk gains electrons, making the glass positively charged and the silk negatively charged.

Electric Force

Electrostatic induction.

The fact that electrical force decreases rapidly as the distance between the charges increases is important in explaining another observation about static electricity. If a charged rod (whether positive or negative) is brought near some uncharged bits of paper, the paper is initially attracted to the rod. How can this happen? When a positively charged rod is brought near a neutral scrap of paper, the electrons in each atom of the paper are drawn somewhat toward the rod, and the nuclei, which are positive, are pushed slightly away. This repositioning of the charges in the neutral scrap of paper is called electrostatic induction.

Because the electrons on the average will be slightly closer to the positive rod than to the nuclei, the force of attraction will be somewhat larger than the force of repulsion. Thus the paper experiences a net attractive force, and it is drawn toward the rod. A negatively charged rod will also attract uncharged bits of paper, but the repositioning of charges in the paper is reversed. Again, the attractive force will be somewhat larger than the repelling force.

The principle of electrostatic induction can be seen at work in industry and in nature. Electrostatic air cleaners attract neutral dust particles to a charged screen by induction. The electrostatic scrubbers used to clean the smoke produced by coal-burning power plants use the same principle on a larger scale. Charging by induction also occurs when the lower, negatively charged regions of thunderclouds induce a positive charge on Earth’s surface. If the charges become large enough, the resistance of the air is overcome and lightning occurs.

Electric Fields

(A test charge is an infinitesimal charge placed in an electric field to probe the strength of the field.) This formula defines a specific value for E at each point in space. Regardless of the size of the test charge, the ratio of electric force to q test will be a particular value at each position in the field.

The strength of an electric field is a vector quantity. Vectors have direction as well as magnitude. An arrow can be used to represent the electric field strength: the stronger the field, the longer the arrow. The direction of the electric field vector is taken to be the same as the direction of the electric force on a positive test charge placed in the field. If the separate electric field vectors for many points in space are joined, lines are obtained that give an overview of the electric field. These lines, called lines of force, were conceived by the 19th-century English scientist Michael Faraday . Where these lines are more concentrated, the field is stronger and the electric force on a test charge will be larger. If a positive test charge is placed somewhere in the field, the force on that charge will be directed along a line tangent to the field line.

An especially simple electric field occurs in the space between two oppositely charged flat plates. The field lines are equally spaced between the plates, showing that the electric field strength is the same everywhere. Such a field is called a uniform electric field. An electron placed in such a field at any spot in the field will accelerate at a constant rate toward the positive plate because the electrical force on it is constant. (It should be noted that the electron, which is negatively charged, moves in a direction opposite to that of the field lines.) If an electron enters a uniform field parallel to the plates, it will veer toward the positive plate. The stronger the field is, the more the deflection.

Potential Difference

The unit for measuring electric potential difference is the volt, which is a joule of energy for every coulomb of charge. Sometimes the electric potential difference is called voltage. When there is no difference in electrical potential—that is, when there is zero voltage—between points in a field, there is no tendency for electric charge to move between those points. On the other hand, if there is a large potential difference between two points in a field, positive electric charge will tend to move from higher to lower potential; negative charge would move the opposite way.

Moving Charges in Electric Fields

An electrochemical cell, or battery , provides a familiar example to illustrate the movement of charges in an electric field. A dry cell battery rated at 1.5 volts has an electric potential at the positive terminal that is 1.5 volts above that of the negative. Frequently this potential difference is called the emf, or electromotive force, of the battery, but this name is misleading because the electric potential difference is not really a force; the 1.5-volt rating indicates the energy change per coulomb of electric charge moved between the terminals. Each coulomb of charge moved between the terminals acquires 1.5 joules of energy.

When connected by a conductor—a material that does not inhibit the motion of electrons—electrons move away from the negative terminal (–) toward the positive terminal (+) through the conductor. The electrons move in response to the electric field set up in the conductor. When the terminals of the battery are connected by an insulator—a material in which electron motion is inhibited—the electrons in the insulating medium are not moved very much. Because air is an insulator, electric charge does not move between the terminals of the dry cell until they are connected by a conductor.

If the potential difference is very high, electric charge may be moved through the field even without a good conductor. In the picture tube of a traditional television set, for example, electrons ejected from a heated electrode, called the cathode, are accelerated by a very high voltage (10,000 to 50,000 volts) and fly through an evacuated tube, crashing into a screen coated with a fluorescent material to produce the bursts of light that are seen as the picture. Such a tube is known as a cathode-ray tube, or CRT. (Moving electrons can be called “cathode rays.”) Cathode-ray tubes have many other applications—for example, in the oscilloscopes used by medical personnel for displaying heartbeat and brain-wave data.

A Simple Battery

A simple battery can be made from strips of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) metal suspended in a salt solution, which is a conductor. Prior to connecting the strips by a conductor, a dynamic equilibrium exists at each metal surface. Some zinc atoms lose a pair of electrons, becoming Zn 2+ ions. The electrons remain on the zinc metal, while the Zn 2+ moves into the solution. The reverse process occurs at an equal rate: Zn 2+ ions gain two electrons and adhere to the zinc strip as zinc atoms. A similar equilibrium exists at the copper surface, involving copper metal and Cu 2+ ions.

When the metals are connected by a conductor, these equilibria are thrown out of balance. Because zinc atoms lose electrons easier than copper atoms do, electrons are forced through the conductor from the zinc strip to the copper strip. As electrons leave the zinc, net formation of Zn 2+ ions occurs at the zinc strip. At the copper strip, Cu 2+ ions gain electrons, becoming copper metal. As electrons move between the zinc and copper strips through a wire outside the cell, positive ions in the solution migrate away from the zinc strip, and negative ions move away from the copper strip. This keeps the current, or flow of charges, going.

Batteries can be constructed using a variety of chemicals. Any two substances with different affinities for electrons can be suspended in a medium that allows ions to migrate, producing a battery.

Electric Current and Circuits

The concepts of current and circuits are central to the understanding of electricity. Electric current is a flow of electric charges. The charges may be electrons, protons, ions, or even positive “holes” (absences of electrons that may be thought of as positive particles). A circuit is a path through which electric current is transmitted.

Electric Charges in a Current

A current can be described as either direct or alternating based on the way that charges move within it. In direct current (DC), the charges always move in the same direction through the device receiving power. Batteries and fuel cells produce direct current. In alternating current (AC), the charges move back and forth in the device and in the wires connected to it. For many purposes either type of current is suitable, but alternating current is customarily used because it can be generated and distributed with greater efficiency. The power sent out by power plants is alternating current.

A one-ampere current means that one coulomb of electric charge passes each point in the circuit each second. Because each electron carries only 1.6 × 10 –19 (1.6 10-quintillionths, or 1.6/10,000,000,000,000,000,000) coulomb of charge, the one-ampere current—normally used in the operation of a 120-watt incandescent bulb—implies that in one second about 6 × 10 18 (6 quintillion, or 6,000,000,000,000,000,000) electrons pass each point in the filament of the bulb.

Traditionally, the direction of electric current has been described as the direction of positive charge motion (conventional current), even though in most circuits it is the electrons that actually move (in the opposite direction). Even though electric charge moves through the filament of the bulb, the filament itself is not charged. The amounts of positive and negative charge in the filament are equal. The positive and negative charges are simply moving in opposite directions relative to each other.

It is mainly the quantity of electric current, or the amperage—not the potential difference, or voltage—that can produce a lethal shock (though higher voltages generally cause higher currents). Currents of less than 0.005 ampere that pass through the heart are not likely to cause damage. Currents of about 0.1 ampere are usually fatal, even if endured for only one second.

Conductivity and Resistance in a Circuit

A circuit is produced when the terminals of a battery are connected with a conductor. As described above, chemical reactions within the battery create a potential difference between the terminals, and electrons flow in the conductor in one direction, away from the negative terminal toward the positive.

The unit of resistance is now known as the ohm, usually abbreviated as the Greek letter omega—Ω

A thicker wire offers less resistance to current than a thinner one of the same material. This is because current consists of electrons flowing through the metal of the wire. The electrons jump from atom to atom in the metal in response to the electric field in the circuit. A conductor with a larger cross section allows more electrons to interact with the field. Because there is more current with a given voltage, a conductor with a larger cross section has lower resistance.

Under special conditions, materials become superconductive, meaning all resistance disappears because electrons pair up and do not collide; current flows without losing power. Some conductors must be cooled to temperatures near −273° C, or absolute zero, before they become superconductive. Because of the high cost of cooling such superconductors, progress in the commercial application of superconductivity was impeded. In the 1980s, however, a new class of higher-temperature superconductor was discovered. These materials are rather brittle and are difficult to form into wire, but progress is being made.

Series Circuits

Wiring in series is satisfactory if the devices need only low amounts of power for operation since each added resistor will cause the current in the circuit to drop. However, if one element of the circuit burns out, the entire circuit is broken.

Parallel Circuits

Besides the advantage of being able to use resistors along each branch independently, the parallel scheme of wiring allows the addition of extra branches without changing the current in the branches already in use, thus keeping the energy consumption in each branch unchanged. In the home each additional device that is plugged into a given circuit adds another parallel branch. But with each device added, the total resistance drops and the total current increases. If too much current flows through the conducting wires, they may overheat and a fire may occur. A fuse or a circuit breaker can be included in a parallel circuit to prevent overheating. If the current increases to a dangerous point, a filament in the fuse overheats, burns out, and the circuit is broken. In order for the parallel circuit not to be overloaded, it is necessary to remove one or more of the branches to increase the overall resistance and decrease the current.

If a circuit is complete, electrons will flow as long as the cell acts. Usually it is desirable to be able to turn current on and off. This can be done with switches, which act like a drawbridge. If the bridge is open, traffic cannot move along the road. When the bridge is closed, traffic can move. If the switch is open, current cannot flow. Closing the switch makes it possible for the current to flow. Circuits are called open or closed according to the position of the switch.

Electric Power

Electric power appears as heat when the electric field in a circuit acts on an electron and imparts to the electron kinetic energy. When the electron strikes an atom, it transfers most of the energy to the atom. The atom then vibrates faster. Faster vibration means more heat, since heat is energy of motion.

In turn, heat in metals reduces conductivity, or increases resistance, slightly. More vibration makes atoms “get in the way” of the electrons more often. The electrons then must spend extra time on deflected courses instead of going straight ahead. This cuts down current slightly. In modern theory, the atoms scatter the electron waves carried by the electrons.

Heat can also generate electricity by acting upon the joined ends of two different kinds of metal. The unheated ends must also be joined in order to complete a circuit. Voltage can be increased by joining several junctions, called thermocouples, in series to make a thermopile. A pile made of antimony and bismuth , for example, with unheated ends kept at a constant temperature, can be used to detect temperature changes of a hundred-millionth of a degree. Thermopiles are also used to measure high temperatures ( see thermometer ).

Magnetic Fields

Like electricity, magnetism is a fundamental force. Magnetism and electricity are closely related and are regarded as two expressions of a single force, the electromagnetic force. The region around a magnet in which magnetic forces can be seen is called a magnetic field. An electric current also creates a magnetic field.

How Magnetic Fields Form

In 1820 the Danish scientist Hans Christian Oersted found by accident that the magnetized needle of a compass would realign if brought near a current-carrying wire. The diagram shows how the needle would point if placed at various positions in a plane perpendicular to a conductor carrying electrons upward. If the direction of the current were reversed, the compass needle would reverse its orientation.

Apparently a magnetic field encircles the current-carrying wire. This magnetic field can be represented as a series of concentric field lines, which form closed loops, in planes perpendicular to the current. A simple rule allows the prediction of the field direction if the direction of electron motion is known: If the wire is encircled by the fingers of one’s left hand, with the thumb pointing in the direction of electron motion, the magnetic field lines encircle the wire in the same direction as the fingers, and a compass needle will align itself tangent to these lines. For a moving positive charge, the right hand is used to predict the magnetic field direction. (The direction of a magnetic field is taken as the direction in which the north-seeking pole of a compass needle points.)

A magnetic field is produced around any moving electric charge, positive or negative, whether in a conductor or in free space. The German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein showed in his theory of relativity that the magnetic field produced by a moving electric charge is caused by a warping of the charge’s electric field; this is caused by its relative motion. An observer moving along with the charge would not detect any magnetic effects. Thus an electric charge at rest relative to an observer does not produce a magnetic field.

Currents in a Magnetic Field

All magnetism arises from moving electric charge. If a current flows in a coil of wire, called a solenoid, the magnetic field will be directed through the solenoid and out one end. The field curves around and reenters the other end of the solenoid. This is similar to the shape of the magnetic field around a bar magnet with a south and north pole and led the French physicist André-Marie Ampère to speculate in the early 1820s that the magnetic field of a bar magnet is produced by circulating currents in the magnet. Today it is believed that those circulating currents are caused by the motions of electrons, particularly by their spin within individual atoms. The tiny magnetic fields of the individual atoms align themselves into domains in which the magnetic effects add together. (Physicists are reluctant to picture electrons as actually spinning, however, because quantum theory indicates that it is impossible to prove such motion by experiment.)

If an unmagnetized iron rod is inserted into a solenoid, the magnetic field inside the solenoid forces the electrons in the iron atoms to align their spins, producing domains that reinforce the magnetic field strength. This arrangement of solenoid and iron rod is an electromagnet and gives a magnetic field considerably stronger than that caused by the current in the solenoid alone.

Deflection in a Magnetic Field

Moving electric charges are surrounded by a magnetic field, and magnetic fields interact with magnets. Thus it is not surprising that charges moving through a magnetic field experience a force. What is surprising is the direction of the deflecting force. For deflection to occur, the charge must have some component of its motion perpendicular to the magnetic field. An electric charge—whether positive or negative—that is moving parallel to the lines of force of the magnetic field will not be acted on by any force from the field. However, a positive charge that moves across the field from left to right will be deflected by an outward force. If the positive charge moves from right to left, it is deflected inward. A negative charge moving across the field will be deflected oppositely.

The deflection for positive charges can be predicted by positioning the right hand so that the thumb points in the direction of the moving positive charge and the fingers point in the direction of the magnetic field. (Magnetic fields point away from north poles and toward south poles.) The positive charge will be deflected from its original path in a direction out of the palm of the hand. A similar left-hand rule applies to negative charges moving across magnetic fields.

Earth’s Magnetic Field

Earth’s magnetic field deflects and traps charged particles that travel from the Sun and other stars toward Earth. These trapped charged particles have formed two doughnut-shaped regions known as the Van Allen radiation belts. Some particles not trapped by Earth’s magnetic field are steered by that field into the atmosphere near the poles. The aurora borealis is produced as these deflected charges crash into molecules of gas in Earth’s atmosphere.

Using Magnetism for Measurement

Instruments designed to detect and measure electric current in circuits make use of the deflecting force on charges moving through magnetic fields. The galvanometer and ammeter detect and measure electric current as it flows in a coil pivoted between the poles of a permanent magnet. As the current in the coil increases, the moving charges are increasingly deflected by the magnetic field. By standardizing the scale, the quantity of current in amperes can be determined. In measuring current, the ammeter is connected in series in the circuit.

A voltmeter is used to measure the potential difference, or voltage drop, between points in the circuit. Like the ammeter it has a movable coil positioned in a magnetic field. But the voltmeter has an extremely high internal resistance. The trickle of current through the voltmeter depends on the potential difference between the terminals of the meter. The voltmeter is connected in parallel across a resistor to measure the potential difference in volts.

Everyday Applications of Magnetism

Magnetic tape recorders and video recorders demonstrate practical uses for the magnetic field produced by an electric current. In tape recording, as current varies in a tape head (itself an electromagnet), the magnetized particles on the tape are realigned to conform to the magnetic field produced by the changing current. Digital video recorders and computer hard drives use magnetically coated disks to record data in a similar way.

In the picture tubes of traditional televisions , magnetic fields are used to steer the electrons from the cathode. As the magnetic field strength is varied, the electrons are deflected so that they scan across the screen. In a loudspeaker, the current from the amplifier is fed to a coil of wire attached to the speaker cone. The coil is arranged so that it is in line with a permanent magnet. As current in the coil is varied, the moving charges are deflected by the field of the permanent magnet. As the coil moves, the cone of the speaker vibrates, causing sound waves to be produced. In addition, powerful magnetic fields keep charged particles moving in circles in the rings of high-energy accelerators used to investigate the substructure of protons and neutrons.

Solenoid are used in a variety of devices with a cylindrical piece of iron inserted. When a switch is closed, the current in the solenoid produces a magnetic field, which pulls the iron through the solenoid. The motion of the iron often is used to activate switches, relays, or other devices. Solenoids are used in doorbells, in the starter motor of automobiles, and in the water valves in washing machines, among many other applications.

Motors and Generators

The interaction between moving charges and a magnetic field makes possible two very useful devices: the electric motor and the generator. In a motor, electrical energy is converted into energy of motion. In a generator, the reverse process takes place: mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy.

A simple motor can be represented as a loop of wire attached to a source of direct current (DC). The loop is pivoted to rotate in a magnetic field. As electric charge moves along the loop, magnetic forces deflect the charge, causing the loop to rotate. To keep the loop rotating, the direction of current in the loop must be reversed every 180 degrees. A device called a split-ring commutator is used for this purpose.

Another design is the induction motor, in which a magnetic field revolves around a piece of metal and creates eddy currents in the metal. These currents produce magnetic fields that interact with the revolving field. This makes the metal rotate if it is pivoted properly. The rotating metal constitutes a motor. The smallest motors of this type use a rotor (revolving part) made of metal disks notched at the edges to place the eddy currents properly. Larger types may use a squirrel-cage rotor. This is made of metal bars arranged to form a skeleton cylinder. The ends of the bars may be attached to disks, or the bars may be mounted on a cylinder of enameled iron and connected at the ends. The eddy currents flow through the bars and end connections.

The revolving fields are produced by using two-phase or three-phase current to energize the field coils. The phases amount to different alternating currents in the same circuit. Because different-phase currents can be used, induction motors are classified as polyphase. The currents reach maximum and minimum strengths in each direction of flow at different times. The field coils are connected to place maximums at different points in turn around a circle. This produces the revolving field.

Synchronous motors use a polyphase current to provide revolving fields in the stator (stationary part), and other current (sometimes direct) gives the rotor a field that follows the stator fields around. Such motors run at constant speeds, proportional to the frequency of the supplied current.

A generator is a motor working in reverse: a motor changes electrical energy into mechanical energy, but a generator produces electrical energy from mechanical energy. Superficially the diagram of a generator appears identical to that of a motor. Each consists of a loop of wire that can rotate in a magnetic field. In a motor, electric current is fed into the loop, resulting in rotation of the loop. In the generator, the loop is rotated, resulting in the production of electric current in the loop. For 180 degrees of the rotation, electron deflection produces an electric current in the loop that moves in one direction; for the next 180 degrees, the electron deflection is reversed. As the current leaves the loop to an external circuit, it moves in one direction and then the other. This is alternating current. For a generator to generate direct current it is necessary to use a split-ring commutator at the point where the generator feeds current to the external circuit. The current in the loop is still alternating, but it is direct in the external circuit.

Electromagnetic Induction

Michael Faraday , the English scientist, and Joseph Henry of the United States independently showed in 1831 that moving a magnet through a coil of wire would generate a current in the wire. If the magnet was plunged into the coil, current flowed one way. When the magnet was removed, the current direction was reversed. This phenomenon is called electromagnetic induction, and it is the principle underlying the operation of the generator. As long as the magnet and the coil move relative to each other, a potential difference is produced across the coil and current flows in the coil. A potential difference is also produced if the magnetic field through the coil grows stronger or weaker. The greater the rate at which the magnetic field changes, the greater the potential difference produced. The key is that the magnetic field must be changing.

In 1864 James Clerk Maxwell suggested: (1) If an electric field changes with time, a magnetic field is induced at right angles to the changing electric field. The greater the rate at which the electric field changes, the stronger the induced magnetic field. (2) If a magnetic field changes with time, an electric field is induced at right angles to the changing magnetic field. The greater the rate at which the magnetic field changes, the stronger the induced electric field.

Maxwell calculated that these electric and magnetic fields would propagate each other and travel through space as time-varying fields. The speed of these electromagnetic waves is 3.0 × 10 8 (300,000,000) meters per second. That happens to be the same as the speed of light . In fact, visible light is merely a narrow range of frequencies in what is known as the electromagnetic spectrum. As people read a printed page, electromagnetic waves reflected from the page pass into their eyes. As the electric field of that wave reaches the eye’s retina, electrons in molecules of the retina interact with the field, change position, and start the message to the brain that eventually allows a person to understand what has been read.

Whenever a changing magnetic field generates a current in a coil of wire, the current will generate its own magnetic field. That induced magnetic field will always tend to oppose the change in the magnetic field that induced it. This rule was first suggested by the Russian-born physicist Heinrich F.E. Lenz in 1834. The effects of the induced field can be observed during the operation of a hand-cranked generator. When the generator is cranked slowly, little current is produced and weak electromagnetic forces oppose the rotation. But as the cranking rate is increased and more current is produced, the forces on the rotating loop become stronger, and the loop is correspondingly more difficult to turn.

Lenz’s law also applies to motors, where a current-carrying wire moves in a magnetic field. That movement, in turn, produces a current in the wire that opposes the original direction of current in the wire. Because electric current cannot occur without a potential difference, this opposition effect is sometimes called a back-emf. When a motor is started, a large current flows at first, and, as the motor begins to turn rapidly, a large back-emf is induced and the net current in the motor drops. If a large load is suddenly added to the motor, slowing it drastically, the back-emf will drop, and the sudden rise in current may cause overheating and burn out the motor.

Even a simple coil of wire in a DC circuit exhibits the effects of back-emf. As the current in the coil increases, the changing magnetic field produced around the coil will tend to produce a back-emf. This is called self-inductance. Normally the current in a circuit rises rapidly after the switch is closed. But in this circuit, the current rises relatively slowly. On the other hand, when the switch is opened, the current in the circuit normally falls to zero almost instantly. But as the magnetic field around the coil decreases, an emf is generated that tends to keep the current from decaying as rapidly. A coil like this is used in devices designed to prevent damage to electronic equipment caused by voltage spikes—sudden increases in potential difference that would tend to produce rapidly changing currents.

Transmission of Electricity

Generators do not create energy. To produce electricity either the loop or the magnets must be rotated relative to one another. The energy for this rotation can be provided by a variety of sources. In some sources water is converted to steam, which is used to drive turbines that operate generators. The energy to boil the water and convert it to steam comes from burning coal, oil, or natural gas, or from the heat released by controlled nuclear reactions. The rotation may be driven by the gravitational potential energy stored in water held behind the dam of a hydroelectric plant, by wind in wind turbines, or by the steam produced naturally within Earth.

Almost everywhere on Earth, electric power is delivered to homes and businesses as alternating current, though different countries use different frequencies. Frequency, measured in hertz, indicates how many times the direction of the current reverses each second. In the United States, when an incandescent lamp is switched on, electrons move back and forth within the filament 60 times per second (a frequency of 60 hertz), matching the frequency at which the alternating current is produced by the generators at the power plant. In contrast, most European countries use a frequency of 50 hertz.

The electrons that move in the filament are not the same electrons that were deflected in the generator loop. When the lamp is turned on, it lights almost instantly because the changing electric field produced in the generator loop travels through the circuit at close to the speed of light. As the field passes along the conductor, electrons in the conductor interact with the field, but they cannot move very far unimpeded because they bump into vibrating atoms in the conductor. Thus the electrons themselves do not fly through the wires at close to the speed of light, nor do they move along by a domino effect. It is the electric energy carried by the field that moves the electrons in the circuit.

So the kilowatt-hour is a unit of energy.

This relationship is important in considering the power loss during transmission. Doubling the current means four times the power loss. Alternatively, if the current is too low for a given power, the voltage will be too high for safe use in the home. The problem of having sufficiently low voltage at the point of delivery and low currents for efficient transmission is solved by using transformers .

If the secondary coil, for example, is wound with 100 times as many turns as the primary, the voltage across the secondary will be 100 times larger than that across the primary. A transformer used in this way is said to be a step-up transformer. If there are fewer turns on the secondary, it is a step-down transformer.

So increasing the voltage in the secondary coil by a factor of 100 results in a current reduction by a factor of 100.

By using a step-up transformer between generator and transmission lines, the current can be reduced to a low value, thereby reducing power losses due to heating of the transmission lines. The voltage across these power lines will be correspondingly large. By using a step-down transformer between the transmission lines and the point of delivery, the voltage will be reduced and the current increased to a level allowing effective operation of electrical devices.

Electrolysis

In a battery-driven circuit, the flow of electric current is produced by spontaneous chemical changes that occur at each battery terminal. In a battery , stored chemical energy is converted to electrical energy.

In electrolysis the process is reversed. By forcing an electric current through some substances, it is possible to change electrical energy into stored chemical energy. The process of electrolysis causes chemical reactions that do not occur spontaneously. For example, when common table salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), is heated to 1,486 °F (808 °C), the solid turns to a stable melt consisting of sodium ions (Na + ) and chloride ions (Cl – ). If inert electrodes are immersed in the melt and an electric current is forced through the molten salt by a sufficiently high voltage, sodium metal will be produced at one electrode and chlorine gas at the other. A similar electrolytic process is used to obtain pure aluminum from solutions of aluminum oxide.

Electrolysis is important in silverplating. In this process an electric current is passed through an object that is immersed in an appropriate solution of a silver compound. If the voltage is sufficient, silver ions (Ag + ) will accept electrons from the object being plated. The ions thereby change to silver atoms (Ag), which plate the surface. A similar technique is used in electroplating copper, chromium, and gold.

The earliest recorded observations about electricity date from about 600 bc and are attributed to the Greek philosopher Thales of Miletus . He noted that when amber , a fossil resin, was rubbed it would attract feathers or bits of straw. The Roman author Pliny the Elder wrote about similar experiments in ad 70 in his Natural History . He also mentions shocks given by torpedo fish.

In 1600 William Gilbert, an English scientist who was physician to Queen Elizabeth I, published De Magnete, Magneticisque Corporibus, et de Magno Magnete Tellure (1600; On the Magnet, Magnetic Bodies, and the Great Magnet of the Earth ). He studied what was already known about amber and lodestone, a mineral that attracts iron. He gave a proof that the attraction exhibited by amber was not magnetic. He also proposed that Earth behaved as though it were a spherical lodestone.

In 1672 the German physicist Otto von Guericke reported the invention of an electric machine: A ball of sulfur on a shaft was rotated; if he touched the rotating sulfur ball with his hand, he noted that sparks were produced. He also proved that electrified objects can transfer some of their ability to attract, called charge, to nonelectrified objects.

In about 1736 the French chemist Charles-François Du Fay learned that rubbing glass and rubbing resinous substances seemed to produce charges of different kinds. He found that two charges of the same kind repel while unlike charges attract. He suggested that electricity may consist of two kinds of “invisible fluid,” which he named “vitreous” and “resinous.”

In about 1745 a German clergyman, E. Georg von Kleist, and a professor at the University of Leiden (sometimes spelled Leyden), Pieter van Musschenbroek, discovered independently that a glass vessel filled with water and charged by a friction source could store the charge for later use. The device became known as the Leyden jar. Sir William Watson and Dr. John Bevis of England improved the jar by coating the inside and outside with tinfoil. This vessel could store enough charge to make sparks that would explode gunpowder or set alcohol afire. Watson’s most important discovery was that electricity traveled almost instantaneously along a wire about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) in length. In 1746 he suggested that electricity was only one kind of fluid and that an excess or lack of that fluid would account for the two kinds of electricity proposed earlier by Du Fay.

The statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin of the United States, who is credited with the invention of the lightning rod, was an advocate of Watson’s one-fluid model. Apparently the enormous respect commanded by Franklin was significant in the widespread acceptance of Watson’s model. It was not until the 1890s, however, that a clear understanding of what electricity is finally emerged, showing that both Du Fay and Watson were correct in some ways.

In 1753 the Englishman John Canton discovered electrostatic induction. Henry Cavendish, another Englishman, found that the force of electric attraction varies inversely with the square of the distance between the charges. He did not publish his findings, and the law is named for Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, who also discovered the relationship.

The study of electricity was greatly aided by the invention of a device for producing a steady current of electricity. In 1780 Luigi Galvani, an Italian anatomist, noted that the legs of a dead frog hung from an iron hook twitched when touched with different kinds of metals. He thought a special “animal electricity” caused this, but an Italian professor of physics, Count Alessandro Volta, suspected a chemical cause. He placed unlike metals in piles between pads moistened with acid or salt solutions. The piles produced a steady electrical current: Volta had invented the battery . In 1807 Sir Humphry Davy of England used current from a powerful battery to obtain pure sodium and potassium from molten soda and potash. The Frenchmen Siméon-Denis Poisson, Joseph-Louis Lagrange , André-Marie Ampère , and Dominique Arago and the Englishman George Green worked out many fundamental laws of electrodynamics. In 1826 the German physicist Georg Simon Ohm announced discoveries concerning voltage, current, and resistance in circuits.

In 1820 the Danish physicist Hans Christian Oersted discovered that an electric current caused deflection of a compass needle. This was followed by the invention of the electromagnet by the Englishman William Sturgeon. In the United States Joseph Henry improved this device and made other discoveries. Unfortunately, he lacked contact with European scientists, and his findings remained almost unknown for many years.

In 1821 the English chemist Michael Faraday , who had no formal training in mathematics or science, undertook a survey of the experiments and theories of electromagnetism that had appeared in the previous year. Faraday started by repeating Oersted’s experiment. He began to develop his own ideas for describing electric and magnetic fields using lines of force. By 1831 he had discovered the principle of electromagnetic induction and the working basis for motors and generators.

In 1873 the Scottish physicist James Clerk Maxwell published a profound mathematical analysis predicting that any changing electric or magnetic field would generate electromagnetic waves that would be propagated through space at the speed of light. In 1888 Heinrich Hertz of Germany produced the predicted waves and confirmed the speed Maxwell had calculated. In 1901 Pyotr N. Lebedev of Russia confirmed the existence of radiation pressure, also predicted by Maxwell.

In 1897 the Englishman Sir Joseph J. Thomson discovered that a negatively charged particle was ejected from the cathode in high-voltage gas discharge tubes. This particle was the electron. Scientists became convinced that electric current in a conductor consisted of electrons flowing from negative to positive. Between 1907 and 1911 Ernest Rutherford , a New Zealander working in Canada, discovered that the positive charges of the atom were clustered in an incredibly tiny space—the nucleus—which occupied only about 10 –15 (1 quadrillionth, or 1/1,000,000,000,000,000) of the volume of the entire atom.

In 1909 Robert Millikan of the United States determined that the basic unit of charge was 1.6 × 10 –19 (1.6 10-quintillionths, or 1.6/10,000,000,000,000,000,000) coulomb. He then concluded that this is the electric charge carried by each proton and electron.

Thomson’s discovery of the electron became the working basis for new discoveries and advancements in the United States. Marvelous developments in electronics were opened up in 1907 when Lee De Forest provided the needed technical instrument by developing John A. Fleming’s diode tube into a triode. Charles P. Steinmetz developed high-tension transmission of current largely by mathematical studies. Nikola Tesla did much the same for the induction motor. Practical inventors such as Thomas Edison and Alexander Graham Bell applied the principles of electricity and magnetism in a wide variety of devices.

In 1925 the Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger combined the theoretical work of Niels Bohr , Louis de Broglie, Max Planck , and Werner Heisenberg to develop quantum mechanics . This theory treats electrons and protons as wavelike particles that can exist only in certain allowable energy states and whose location and momentum are describable in terms of probability and not certainty.

Since 1965, when the American physicist Murray Gell-Mann first proposed that protons and neutrons are actually composed of quarks , physicists have explored high-energy particle collisions to find support for their theories of quantum chromodynamics. These theories have already pointed to a convincing unity between what once had been thought to be three different forces in nature: electromagnetism, the nuclear strong force, and the nuclear weak force. This work offers the hope of uniting these forces and the force of gravity into a single unified theory : a theory that will account for all physical phenomena.

Additional Reading

Bodanis, David. Electric Universe (Crown, 2005). Buban, Peter, and others. Electricity and Electronics Technology , 7th. ed. (Glencoe/McGraw, 1999). Dreier, David. Electrical Circuits: Harnessing Electricity (Compass Point, 2008). Gibilsco, Stan. Electricity Demystified (McGraw, 2005). Kirkland, Kyle. Electricity and Magnetism (Facts On File, 2007). Panofsky, W.K., and Phillips, Melba. Classical Electricity and Magnetism , 2nd ed. (Dover, 2005). Parker, Steve. Electricity , rev. ed. (DK, 2005). Parker, Steve. Fully Charged: Electricity (Heinemann, 2005). Solway, Andrew. Generating and Using Electricity (Heinemann, 2009). Tucker, Tom. Bolt of Fate: Benjamin Franklin and the Electric Kite Hoax (Public Affairs, 2003).

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In Game Description [ edit | edit source ]

As a member of karbyshev's cabinet [ edit | edit source ].

What can be said of Dmitry Timofeyevich Yazov, the protégé to the Black League's founder? Born in a backwater town near Omsk to a peasant family, Dmitry joined the Red Army at the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War at just seventeen. When the Germans caused the complete and utter rout of the Red Army, Dmitry was forced to make his way back to West Siberia and drawn to the new strength of Kaganovich's West Siberian People's Republic.

However, like many military men in West Siberia, a black coal of hate formed in Yazov's heart for the Germans for what they had done to his Motherland. His dedication to the defence of Russia drew the eye of Dmitry Karbyshev, the general who would go on to break with Kaganovich and form the Black League. Dmitry, liking Yazov's intelligence and fanaticism to the cause of saving the motherland, took him in as his personal protégé. This caused Yazov to go with his mentor to Omsk when they finally declared independence from Kaganovich, and he became the right hand man to the older man.

However, Yazov holds nothing but contempt for what he sees now. The people all around Karbyshev only pretend to believe in the cause of the Black League, using their mantle to do whatever the hell they please with Karbyshev too powerless to stop it. He swears to himself that he will make the old man proud, that Karbyshev's dream of a final Great Trial with the Germans defeated once and for all. After all, he is Dmitry Yazov, and he will make sure his mentor's work was not in vain.

In Game Biography 1960s [ edit | edit source ]

Dmitry Timofeyevich Yazov is part of a new generation of post-Soviet leaders: those born after the rise of Lenin, with no memories of the Tsar or the Great War. They knew hardship as children, but were told that this hardship was a necessary sacrifice for the Motherland's survival. When the Nazis came swarming from the west, they fought on the front lines under the Red Army, witnessing hell on earth and suffering bitter defeat again and again. When the Great Patriotic War was over, what little happiness they had in their former lives was taken from them by the victorious Germans. The West Russian Revolutionary Front's military failures and subsequent collapse in the 1950s only made men like Yazov more set in their ways: the old Soviet commanders had fervor, but the leadership desperately needed some fresh blood. Younger men, harder men, those who were taught from birth about the value of sacrifice and have witnessed it firsthand. With Comrade Karbyshev having passed before his vision was complete, the burden now falls to his protégé Dmitry Yazov to carry it out. Unlike his former mentor, Yazov has both the will and the stamina to implement it, and is already transforming the entire nation to be ready for a form of total war more destructive than any the world has ever seen. He expects his people to sacrifice everything they have, including their lives, to help achieve revenge against the German menace, and many of them will gladly do so. Nothing, not even the threat of atomic fire, will be enough to deter him from his course, and he frequently boasts that if all Germans and all but one Russian perish in the coming war, it will still be a victory. Omsk is stirring from its slumber, and the world trembles at the thought.

In Game Biography 1970s [ edit | edit source ]

Dmitry Yazov looks upon his handiwork, a strong and hard Russia preparing eagerly for revenge, and smiles pridefully.

Yazov and his comrades had known hardship as children; they were told that the hardship was a necessary sacrifice for the Motherland's survival. But failures of the Great Patriotic War and the West Russian War first broke the minds of Yazov and his ilk, as they realized how futile it had all been. Then it led them to conclude that the leadership of the Russian people needed to be in the hands of young, hard men who had been taught well about sacrifice and knew it firsthand.

Comrade General Karbyshev, founder of the Black League, suffered death and was buried before his vision was complete; it fell, therefore, to his protégé Dmitry Yazov to carry that vision out. After subjugating West Siberia, defeating the liberal and old guard insurgency to secure his rule, and unifying the whole of Russia, Yazov was freed to begin his master work: that of transitioning all Russia into a state of readiness for a form of total war more destructive than any seen before.

Yazov now expects his people to sacrifice everything they have - even their lives - to achieve total revenge against the German menace, and more and more of them are willing to do so. Nothing, not even the threat of thermonuclear hellfire destroying civilization itself, will be enough to deter him from his course. Indeed, Yazov frequently boasts that if no Germans and only one Russian survive the coming Great Trial, it will still be a total victory.

The Great Trial approaches, and Yazov smirks as the opportunity for his revenge upon those that raped his homeland comes ever closer.

And "the lamps are going out all over Eurasia; we shall never see them lit again in our life-time."

Biography [ edit | edit source ]

Early life [ edit | edit source ].

Yazov was evacuated by Bukharin's USSR into Omsk prior to their capitulation during the Second World War. Experiencing deep sorrow and hate after witnessing Russia's destruction, he would grow up with his ambition to take revenge against the invading Germans.

Dmitry Karbyshev, which had escaped from Mauthausen concentration camp, oversaw the collapse of the West Russian Revolutionary Front, moved back to Omsk, where he established the Black League, taking Yazov under his wing. The Black League's thesis is a third confrontation with Germany, what they call the Great Trial. To be sure that his successors will always be prepared for it, Karbyshev created Plan Hydra, a precise line of succession, in case he dies.

However, Yazov grew to follow the vision of the Great Trial in mind, and so did his fellow officers. Fueled by hatred of the Germans, he believed making the Great Trial merely a defensive war would be an injustice to all the lives lost by their hands. As Karbyshev's health declines, and with him as the chosen successor, it is only a matter of time before the Great Trial becomes the day when Germany will feel Russia's total revenge.

Post West Siberian Unification [ edit | edit source ]

After the unification of West Siberia in game, Pavel Batov, will launch his resistance against Yazov, seeing him as a psychopath who wants to destroy the world.

Trivia [ edit | edit source ]

• After unifying Russia, the player has a 5% chance of getting a sunglasses version of Yazov's post unification portrait.
• In OTL, Yazov was the Soviet Minister of Defense from 1987 to 1991. Yazov served in command of the Soviet Nukes in the Cuban Missile Crisis. He didn't want to destroy the world and Germany in OTL, but he was a brutal general, as he put down an Azerbaijani Revolt against the USSR, and a Baltic one before the dissolution of the USSR.

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Omsk Oblast, Russia

The capital city of Omsk oblast: Omsk .

Omsk Oblast - Overview

Omsk Oblast is a federal subject of Russia located in the south-eastern part of Siberia, in the Siberian Federal District. Omsk is the capital city of the region.

The population of Omsk Oblast is about 1,879,500 (2022), the area - 141,140 sq. km.

Omsk oblast flag

Omsk oblast coat of arms.

Omsk oblast map, Russia

Omsk oblast latest news and posts from our blog:.

10 November, 2019 / Tomsk - the view from above .

3 July, 2016 / Omsk - the view from above .

20 October, 2012 / The bear at the gate .

2 August, 2012 / Omsk city from bird's eye view .

14 December, 2011 / Time-lapse video of Omsk city .

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History of Omsk Oblast

Ancient people began to settle in the area of the middle reaches of the Irtysh River about 45,000 years ago. This region became the place of numerous migrations of different peoples, of interpenetration of forest and steppe cultures. In the Middle Ages, the territory of the present Omsk region was part of the Western Turkic Khanate and the Siberian Khanate. As a result, an ethnic group of the Siberian Tatars was formed. This region was also inhabited by Kazakhs and other peoples.

The history of the development of the Irtysh by Russians is connected first of all with the legendary Yermak. Although even before him, in the 15th century, Russian merchants from the Urals visited the Siberian Khanate.

In the early 18th century, major reforms carried out by Peter the Great required large expenses. The first Russian emperor turned his attention to the east. He sent a detachment of Cossacks under the command of the lieutenant-colonel I.D.Bukhgolts from the town of Tobolsk up the Irtysh River in search of gold deposits.

More Historical Facts…

The expedition failed because of resistance from the nomads Dzhungars. Russians were forced to take a step back. In 1716, they founded a fortress at the mouth of the Om River - future Omsk. Russian peasants began to settle in the land around the fortress. To the south of Omsk, a line of outposts was constructed for protection from the nomads.

In 1782, the fortress became a town. Omsk district was formed on the basis of the southern part of Tarsky district and, in 1785, the town of Omsk was given a coat of arms. Omsk became an important center for the study of Siberia and Central Asia. This region like other parts of Siberia was used as a place for political exile.

In the 19th century, the people exiled to Siberia were the Decembrists, Petrashevts, Narodniki, representatives of other revolutionary parties and organizations, participants of the Polish national movement. These people had a major cultural impact on the local population. The great Russian writer F.M.Dostoyevsky was one of the prisoners of the Omsk jail.

In the late 19th and early 20th century, Siberia experienced significant changes. Large-scale migration of peasants led to the rapid growth of the local economy, especially agriculture. Due to its favorable economic and geographical location, at the intersection of the Trans-Siberian Railway and the Irtysh River, Omsk rapidly turned into a large transport, trade and industrial center of Western Siberia, the largest city in Siberia.

During the Second World War, about 100 industrial plants were evacuated from the European part of the USSR to Omsk. They became the basis of the local engineering industry. In 1949, the first refinery in Siberia was constructed in Omsk. In 1954-1956, during development of virgin lands, several large agricultural enterprises were built in the southern part of Omsk Oblast. In the 1970s, Omsk oblast became one of the most economically developed regions of Siberia.

Pictures of Omsk Oblast

Wooden chapel in Omsk Oblast

Author: Sedov Artem

Country house in Omsk Oblast

Author: Heinrich Jena

Provincial life in the Omsk region

Author: Baranov Pavel

Omsk Oblast - Features

Omsk Oblast is located in the south of the West Siberian Plain, in the middle reaches of the Irtysh River, with steppes in the south, which turn into forest steppes, forests and marshy tundra in the north. The territory of the region stretches for about 600 km from north to south and 300 km from west to east. In the south, Omsk Oblast borders with Kazakhstan.

The largest cities and towns of Omsk Oblast are Omsk (1,126,000), Tara (28,500), Kalachinsk (21,900), Isylkul (21,700). The main river is the Irtysh with its tributaries (the Ishim, Om, Osha, and Tara). The Trans-Siberian Railway is an important traffic artery. There is an international airport in Omsk.

The climate is continental and sharply continental. The average temperature in January is minus 19-20 degrees Celsius, in July - plus 17-18 degrees Celsius in the northern part and plus 19 degrees Celsius in the south.

Omsk Oblast has such natural resources as oil, natural gas, brown coal, iron ore, various construction materials. Main manufacturing, construction and trade are carried out in Omsk. Industrial sector is represented by military, aerospace and agricultural engineering, petrochemical, light and food industries.

Agriculture is represented by crops, dairy and beef cattle, pig and poultry farming. Cereals (wheat, rye, oats, barley), potatoes, vegetables, sunflower, and other crops are cultivated.

Attractions of Omsk Oblast

A lot of sights can be found in Omsk. The most interesting places located outside the city are:

• Achairsky Convent in the upper reaches of the Irtysh River, 50 km from Omsk;
• St. Nicholas Monastery in the village of Bolshekulache, 20 km from Omsk;
• Nature reserve “Bairovsky” created for the preservation and reproduction of rare and valuable species of birds and animals;
• Batakovo tract - a natural and archaeological park on the left bank of the Irtysh River, 150 km north of Omsk, in Bolsherechensky district;
• Znamenskiy museum of local lore dedicated to the history and nature of Omsk oblast, located in one of the oldest settlements of the region - in the village of Znamenskoye;
• Chudskaya mountain on the left bank of the Irtysh River, 3 km north of Znamenskoye;
• Lake Ulzhay - a relict water reservoir in the northwest of Kurumbelskaya steppe, in Cherlaksky district, 160 km from Omsk;
• Lake Ebeyty in the southwest of the region;
• Lake Platovskoye located to the north-east of the village of Platovo in Polstavskiy district;
• “Bird’s Haven” - a natural park located in Omsk;
• “Devil’s finger” - a rock on the right bank of the Irtysh, 2 km from the village of Serebryanoye, on the territory of Gorky district.

Omsk oblast of Russia photos

Nature of omsk oblast.

Omsk Oblast landscape

Author: Vitali Ellert

Omsk Oblast scenery

Author: Yury Ermakov

Small river in Omsk Oblast

Author: Andrey Genze

Wooden house in the Omsk region

Winter in Omsk Oblast

Wooden church in Omsk Oblast

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