What makes electrons

The key is how those particles interact using the three fundamental quantum forces of nature: electromagnetism, the weak force and the strong force.

However, those forces are also described using particles in quantum theory: electromagnetism is carried by photons, the weak force is governed by the W and Z bosons, and the strong force involves the gluons.

Despite the vagueness of the concept, fields describe everything. Two electrons approach each other and they stir up the electromagnetic field, creating photons like ripples in a pond.

Those photons then push the electrons apart. Waves are the best metaphor to understand particles and fields. Photons are like water ripples: they can be big or small, violent or barely noticeable. The fields describing matter particles are more like waves on a guitar string. Enough energy, though, and you get the first harmonic, which is a clear note for the string or an electron for the field.

Nothing is waving! Electricity is the flow of electrons through a conductor , usually in the form of a wire , this flow is called an electric current. In order for this flow to occur, electrons must break their atomic bond electricity is the flow of electrons, not the flow of electrons and the nuclei they happen to be bonded to.

Breaking the atomic bond between an electron and its nucleus requires an input of energy which causes the electron to overcome the electromagnetic force constraining it and thus flow freely. This needed energy can be harnessed from a number of different sources, and a few examples are:. All forms of matter contain electrons, however, the electrons in certain materials are more loosely bound to their nuclei. These materials known as conductors or metals require very little energy to create an electric current , because loosely bound electrons require much less energy to overcome the electromagnetic force keeping them in place.

Electric generators are devices that use the principle of electromagnetic induction —this is the process of moving a conductor through a magnetic field in order to create electron flow. Note: only a relative movement of the conductor and magnetic field are needed, meaning the magnetic field could be moving while the conductor is stationary. When the electrons in the conductor pass through a magnetic field if the field is strong enough and the conductors relative velocity through the field is fast enough then the bonds to their nuclei will be broken and a flow will be induced.

In order to induce a high level of electron flow a great deal of energy is needed in order to create relative velocity between the conductor and magnets.

Chemical reactions inside of batteries also create an electromotive force causing electrons to flow in a circuit. The protons and electrons of an atom are attracted to each other.

They both carry an electrical charge. The positive charge of the protons is equal to the negative charge of the electrons. Opposite charges attract each other.

An atom is in balance when it has an equal number of protons and electrons. The neutrons carry no charge and their number can vary. The number of protons in an atom determines the kind of atom, or element , it is. An element is a substance consisting of one type of atom.

The Periodic Table of Elements shows elements with their atomic numbers—the number of protons they have. For example, every atom of hydrogen H has one proton and every atom of carbon C has six protons. Electrons usually remain a constant distance from the atom's nucleus in precise shells. The shell closest to the nucleus can hold two electrons. The next shell can hold up to eight.

The outer shells can hold even more. Some atoms with many protons can have as many as seven shells with electrons in them. The electrons in the shells closest to the nucleus have a strong force of attraction to the protons. Sometimes, the electrons in an atom's outermost shells do not have a strong force of attraction to the protons. These electrons can be pushed out of their orbits.

Applying a force can make them shift from one atom to another. These shifting electrons are electricity. Lightning is a form of electricity. Lightning is electrons moving from one cloud to another or electrons jumping from a cloud to the ground. Have you ever felt a shock when you touched an object after walking across a carpet?

A stream of electrons jumped to you from that object. This is called static electricity. Have you ever made your hair stand straight up by rubbing a balloon on it? If so, you rubbed some electrons off the balloon. The electrons moved into your hair from the balloon.