Introduction
Electricity is more than just a buzzword in the contemporary world. Being the most instrumental source of energy for both commercial and domestic use, life, as it is today, cannot be sustainable without electricity. Today, the human race is in an era with unprecedented application of technology. In point of fact, life in the modern world depends on electricity a great deal. While the word electricity was coined in the year 1600 by William Gilbert, historical records indicate that human beings perceived electricity thousands of years ago (Hinrichs and Merlin 63). History has it that in the year 2750 BC, the people of Egypt were aware about the electric shock in some types of fish. Millennia later, Arab, Roman and Greek naturalists reported the numbing effect of the shock from such fish. These crude observations were the building blocks of the ideas that would later lead to the discovery of modern day electricity.
The Nature and Uses of Electricity
Electricity can be generated from various sources. Foremost is hydro-power which entails the conversion of water energy into electric energy. This is usually done at waterfalls, where the force from the water is used to turn turbines, generating high voltage. Secondly, electricity can be generated from wind power, where the force from the wind is converted into electric energy used in lighting and performing other functions. Additionally, electricity can be generated from biomass – the remains of dead plants and animals. Whether or not electricity is renewable depends on the original source. Worth of note is that electricity is capable of storage and transport through batteries.
Among the major uses of electricity is providing energy for transport. Electricity powers such equipment as electric trains which move at supersonic speed. The electric trains have been of great essence in the execution of both personal and commercial missions, thanks to their speed. Similarly, electricity is used in powering buses and cars – both as whole systems and as ancillary elements (Hinrichs and Merlin 78). Secondly, electricity is used in controlling home temperatures. On this note, it is a matter of common knowledge that electricity is used for heating the house during cold weather, and cooling it during extreme temperatures. In addition to controlling temperatures in the house, electricity is used in powering various home appliances.
Electricity is also used in enhancing production and manufacturing of various items meant for human consumption. As a matter of fact, electricity is the most significant source of energy that is meant for industrial purposes. For instance, it is used in running conveyor belts, operating saws, as well as lighting furnaces. These are among the primary equipments used in manufacturing organizations. Thirdly, electricity is the backbone of modern day entertainment (Hinrichs and Merlin 114). Without electricity, computers, televisions, mp3 players and iPods could not be functional. Since these are the factors defining contemporary entertainment, it follows that without electricity, there could be no entertainment. Worth mentioning also is the fact that electricity is the factor behind modern day communication with cell phones, landline telephones, fax machines, and even the optic fiber as well as the entire mass media industry depending on electricity.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is clear that, from the foregoing, electricity was discovered by man millennia ago. However, they did not know what exactly it was, and why it had a numbing effect. Additionally, they did not know that it could be used as a source of energy. For this reason, it is formerly assumed that electricity was discovered in the year 1600. Clearly, not even a 1000 page book can explain the uses of electricity – they are far too many. For this reasons, they are summarized under these subheadings: transport, home purposes, communication, production and manufacturing, and entertainment. Overall, electricity is a very important resource for the sustainability f human life in the modern world.
Works Cited
Hinrichs, Roger, and Merlin H. Kleinbach. Energy: Its Use and the Environment. Boston, MA: Brooks/Cole, 2013. Print.
