Electrons are not consumed

The idea

Electrons are not consumed in an electric circuit; what is used up, and paid for, is the energy supplied to move electrons through the gadgets.

The bill

At the end of the month a family pays for electricity. A child says that the money pays for the electrons that the bulbs and fans used up.

What do we really pay for?

• The energy supplied to move electrons through the gadgets
• The electrons that get used up in the gadgets
• The wires that carry the electrons

Electrons and energy

Press Next step to follow the electrons and the energy.

Not electrons, energy

The same electrons keep going round the circuit. The electricity board or company provides energy to move them through gadgets, and that energy is what we use and pay for.

Electrons are not consumed in an electric circuit. What is used up, and paid for, is the energy supplied to move electrons through the gadgets.

Notes

Electrons are not consumed in a circuit; what is used up and paid for is the energy supplied to move electrons through the gadgets.

Check yourself

What do we pay the electricity board or company for?

A bulb is on for an hour. What happens to the electrons that pass through it?

Which statement is correct?

In what unit is the energy we pay for commercially measured?

• The electrons that get used up. Electrons are not consumed in an electric circuit.
• The energy that moves electrons through the gadgets — correct. Yes!
• The metal of the wires. We pay for the energy we use, supplied to move electrons through the gadgets.
• They are used up in the bulb. Electrons are not consumed in an electric circuit. Many people wrongly think they are.
• They are turned into light. What is used is the energy supplied to move electrons, not the electrons themselves.
• They are not consumed and keep moving round the circuit — correct. Yes!
• We pay for the energy that we use — correct. Yes!
• We pay for the number of electrons that enter the house. We pay for the energy we use, not for electrons. Electrons are not consumed.
• Gadgets such as a fan use up the electrons that flow in them. The fan uses energy to move the electrons. The electrons themselves are not consumed.
• The coulomb. The coulomb is a unit of charge. The commercial unit of electric energy is the kilowatt hour.
• The kilowatt hour — correct. Yes!
• The ohm. The ohm is a unit of resistance. The commercial unit of electric energy is the kilowatt hour.