How does electricity work?

Electricity for your house comes from a big power station where there is a huge piece of machinery called a generator.

Inside a generator is an electromagnet, which is an iron core with wires, which coil around it but do not touch it.

In a circle around the magnet —also not touching it—there are other coils of wire.

Power, usually from steam or falling water, makes the electro magnet whirl rapidly inside the coil. And this produces electricity, electric current in the outer circle of wire.

The electric current flows from the generator into cables that

run sometimes underground

and sometimes high up on poles.

They carry

the currenteverywhere it is needed.A cable brings it to your house.

When you flip a light switch or turn on your television set, you bring the electric

current into your room.

This booklet was designed by S. Crystal Yun for the Spring 2013 Word & Image II course at Washington University in St. Louis. It is printed on 28 lb Hammermill paper with a brightness of 100 through the Xerox Color Fiery 550 printer. All images were rendered digitally on Adobe Illustrator CS6. Typefaces used include Whitney Book 14/17.2 pt and 26/27 pt. This type is set in Whitney Medium 7.8/10 pt.