Electrical phenomena
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Electrical phenomena are commonplace and unusual events that can be observed which illuminate the principles of the physics of electricity and are explained by them. Electrical phenomena are a somewhat arbitrary division of electromagnetic phenomena.
Some examples are:
- Contact electrification — The phenomenon of electrification by contact. When two objects were touched together, sometimes the objects became spontaneously charged (One negative charge, one positive charge).
- Electroluminescence — The phenomenon where a material emits light in response to an electric current passed through it, or to a strong electric field.
- Electrical conduction — The movement of electrically charged particles through transmission medium.
- Electric shock — Physiological reaction of a biological organism to the passage of electric current through its body.
- Ferroelectric effect — The phenomenon whereby certain ionic crystals may exhibit a spontaneous dipole moment.
- Galvanic current — Direct Current or "continuous current"; The continuous flow of electricity through a conductor such as a wire from high to low potential.
- Lightning — powerful natural electrostatic discharge produced during a thunderstorm. Lightning's abrupt electric discharge is accompanied by the emission of light.
- Photoconductivity — The phenomenon in which a material becomes more conductive due to the absorption of electro-magnetic radiation such as visible light, ultraviolet light, or gamma radiation.
- Piezoelectric effect — Ability of certain crystals to generate a voltage in response to applied mechanical stress.
- Photoelectric effect — Emission of electrons from a surface (usually metallic) upon exposure to, and absorption of, electromagnetic radiation (such as visible light and ultraviolet radiation).
- Pyroelectric effect — The potential created in certain materials when they are heated.
- Static electricity — Class of phenomena involving the imbalanced charge present on an object, typically referring to charge with voltages of sufficient magnitude to produce visible attraction (eg., static cling), repulsion, and sparks.
- Sparks — Electrical breakdown of a medium which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, similar to the instant spark, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air.
- Telluric currents — Extremely low frequency electrical current that occurs naturally over large underground areas at or near the surface of the Earth.
- Triboelectric effect — Type of contact electrification in which objects become electrically charged after coming into contact and are then separated.
- Whistlers[Altair's site on Natural Radio Signals] — Very low frequency radio wave generated by lightning
References
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