Electricity is a necessity in modern life. It is hard to find a once manual device which has not been converted to require electricity. But do we really understand electricity and how it works? Flick the light switch on, light goes on. Flick the switch off, light goes off. But how?

You don’t need a university degree to understand the basics of electricity. Let’s talk about Volts, Amps and Ohms [Ω].

There are 3 basic units in electricity: Voltage (volts), Current (amps) and Resistance (ohms Ω ).

Volts measure voltage and describe electrical pressure, or tension. Electricity is basically the energy created from the flow of negative electrons. Volts are how we measure the pressure within this flow.

All matter is made up of atoms, which have a centre nucleus (+), and are surrounded by electrons (-). We all know that the positive and negative poles in a magnet will attract, while positive and positive, or negative and negative will repel. This principle is the same with negative electrons.

Opposites Attract

Alike Repel

Volts measure the amount of force being created by thousands of negative electrons all trying to push away from each other at the same time. So, the higher the tension or pressure being created, the higher the voltage!

Imagine your standard “AA” sized battery, with positive and negative terminals. Inside the battery are thousands of negative electrons.

While the light switch is off and there is no complete circuit, the electrons are effectively trapped inside the battery, waiting to repel each other. Once the switch is turned on, the electrons can push away from each other through the circuit, creating a current of negative electrons.

Off
   On

The measurement of this current is referred to as the Amps, or Amperage. Increasing the voltage will increase the amps in the circuit.

Now, Resistance is a little different. While the Volts (V) and Current (A) refer to the size and force of electricity being generated, Resistance will restrict the electricity flowing through a circuit.
Ohm's [Ω] typically is the measure of resistance within a circuit. The greater the Resistance, the more difficult it is for the Current or Voltage to move through the circuit. So essentially, it is opposite to water flowing through a pipe. Where a larger pipe will allow more water to be released, larger impedance allows less electricity through the circuit.

So there you have it; A basic explanation of volts, amps and ohms [Ω]. If you have any further questions, give our Selby Techs a call on 1800 69 2225.